Shahid Afridi may be the world’s most feared Twenty20 player, but Arshad Ali claims his presence will not guarantee success for Fly Emirates XI this weekend.

‘Boom Boom’ will be looking to create a few fireworks playing for the amateur side in the Emirates Airline Twenty20 tournament this weekend.

And while having such a great player on your side is clearly a great boost, Arshad isn’t banking on his side hitting Surrey, Sussex and Cape Cobras for six.

“He’s [Afridi] a handy cricketer; he can bat and bowl is one of the best Twenty20 cricketers, he’s very useful for us,” Arshad told 7DAYS.

“But we’re playing against pros who train all the time. We work and then play cricket so it will be hard for us but we will do our best. In Twenty20 anything can happen.

“It will be difficult for us as we work but we will try our best.”

While many fans will turn up at The Sevens on Friday hoping to see Afridi (pictured) in full flow, Arshad is confident other members of the Fly Emirates XI can rival the Pakistan ace for power and panache.

They recently beat The Lord’s Taverners over two games with Arshad becoming the first player to score a 50 at the new cricket ground at The Sevens. And the UAE all-rounder hopes he can outshine Afridi.

“Playing against the Lord’s Taverners was a good experience, it was good to play and beat players like Andrew Caddick and Chris Adams.

“I got man of the match and so I am confident,” he added.

But Arshad knows he can still learn a thing or two from Afridi, as he said:   “He will be just one of the team, he’s a professional and can handle the pressure. “I am looking forward to playing with him, I played against him in the 2003 Hong Kong Super Sixes, he scored a lot of runs and I am glad to be playing with him this time “And this time I am hoping to get some advice from him.”