NSW approach Afridi for Sheffield Shield

Flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi [ Images ] who guided Pakistan to glory in the Twenty20 [ Images ] World Cup in England [ Images ] may soon receive an offer to play in Sheffield Shield for the Australian domestic side New South Wales.

The 29-year-old cricketer helped Pakistan win their first major title in 17 years by beating their sub-continental rival Sri Lanka [ Images ] by eight wickets in the final at Lord's on Sunday.

"He is clearly one of the world's best Twenty20 players, but also he would be a valuable addition to our dressing room, our young players would learn a lot from him.

"We would certainly consider if he could be used for other formats," a NSW Cricket official was quoted as saying in the Sydney [ Images ] Morning Herald.

Afridi put up an excellent all-round performance during the tournament, scoring 176 runs in seven matches which included two half-centuries and also scalped 11 wickets with an economy rate of 5.32.

If the deal materialises, Afridi would become one of the high-profile players to join an Australian side, after NSW's selection of Kiwi Brendon McCullum [ Images ] for last season's Big Bash final against Victoria, the report said.