Watch: Shaheen Afridi has been in red hot form in the County Championship for Middlesex and he rocked the Sussex boat early in the fixture in Hove with the wicket of skipper Tom Haines.

After topping the run-scoring charts in the 2021 County Championship, Haines, 23, has started well again in 2022 and has been suggested as having an outside shout of forcing his way into the England team this year. A career-best 243 a fortnight ago, which came with his side following on, against Derbyshire furthered those prospects, but if Haines needed a taste of what he might face if he gets to don the whites for England, he got it on Thursday from Pakistan speedster Shaheen Afridi, who is ruffling a few feathers for Middlesex.

Opting to bat first in Hove, Haines received a corker from Shaheen that seamed away late after on of good length to take the off-stump. It was Shaheen’s 11th wicket in the County Championship this season. He returned with six wickets, three in each innings, in Middlesex’s win over Leicestershire last week.

Notably, Shaheen had another memorable new-ball burst there, taking two wickets in two balls to rip out Leicestershire’s top-order. He was also excellent with the new ball against Glamorgan the week before that, dismissing Marnus Labuschagne and Sam Northeast off successive balls in the first innings inside the first 10 overs.

Watch Tom Haines’ dismissal to Shaheen Afridi here

An absolute beauty from Shaheen Afridi 👌#CountyCricket2022pic.twitter.com/nscBQOD556

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) May 5, 2022