What's new

Is it time to discuss dropping Shaheen Shah Afridi from Pakistan's Test squad?

Is it time to discuss dropping Shaheen Shah Afridi from Pakistan's Test squad?

  • Yes, he needs a break to get back to his old fitness

    Votes: 64 88.9%

  • No, he is integral to Pakistan's bowling attack

    Votes: 8 11.1%
  • Total voters
    72
It is not just speed/rhythm as fans oversimplify his indifferent bowling. His release is not good.
 
One more thing i noticed is loss of speed after pitching. He looks like losing more pace after pitching compared to other bowlers. Possibly because he is not landing on the seam or release. He reminds me of IRfan pathan in the later days where his action was all messed up and lost a lot of speed.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
One more thing i noticed is loss of speed after pitching. He looks like losing more pace after pitching compared to other bowlers. Possibly because he is not landing on the seam or release. He reminds me of IRfan pathan in the later days where his action was all messed up and lost a lot of speed.
Click to expand...
I do not think him hitting the seam is the issue. His seam position is pretty good. Most bowlers hit the seam. I think its the overall energy behind the bowl. Not running is fast enough not driving his body through the ball.
 
The 2021 Saffer tour of Pakistan is the best I've seen Shaheen bowl in Tests.

He was very quick and rushing the Saffer batters . That was his best year across formats.

All downhill since then.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
The 2021 Saffer tour of Pakistan is the best I've seen Shaheen bowl in Tests.

He was very quick and rushing the Saffer batters . That was his best year across formats.

All downhill since then.
Click to expand...
Those pitches assist bowlers. It offers swing and pace. Real test for pacers is Australia. How you use the conditions there.
 
Been saying for a good while now that he needs his workload managed better but they keep rushing him back from injury and reducing his effectiveness. Doesn’t help himself either by choosing to play a lot of league cricket.

Asia cup-CWC-Aus tour b2b2b has killed his effectiveness, now just looks like a trundler who you think would have grown up in the english countryside. Sad to see.
 
zarak said:
Bumrah Peak Rhythm was 143-148 . I think at peak rhythm Shaheen was 3km slower on average 140-145.

The point is that Bumrahs standard is not too far from his peak rhythm. Shaheen has dropped his considerably and he seems in denial about it. The elite level honesty is missing.
Click to expand...
I dont understand why people are so obsessed with Bumrah's pace

Bumrah was highly effective bcoz he had very good control + swing at about 135-140 kph. Exactly what you need in Australia

That's what Shaheen should aspire for. This pace comparison is useless manhood measuring contest !
 
Last edited by a moderator:
NishanKonar said:
I dont understand why people are so obnsessed with Bumrah's pace

Bumrah was highly effective bcoz he had very good control + swing at about 135-140 kph. Exactly what you need in Australia

That's what Shaheen should aspire for. This pace comparison is useless manhood measuring contest !
Click to expand...
Bumrah's cricketing smartness is unrivalled. That is why Bumrah is posisbly the best fast bowler in the last 25 years to tour Australia. That boxing day spell was breathtaking. It is not just pace, skill. it is mixing up of his skills. The slower ball that took out shaun Marsh right before lunch is still an epic ball that no one will forget. Some gave credit to Rohit. But whoever gave the idea, Bumrah executed with pin point precision.
 
As much as I hate to say this. He is history. I am not sure if he will be a 140 kph plus bowler again.

The injuries he has had, have taken their toll on his body.
 
zaidihusain said:
Out of his 106 test wickets, he got 61 against Bang, Sri Lanka, WI & ZIM. His 15 wickets against Aus were impact less, he failed to win single test match against Aus. But I must say he has some strong PR agencies on social media. Forget about Wasim-Waqar we need to see if he will be able to emulate Shoaib Akhtar's record
Click to expand...
Here is a question. How many brands he endorses? There lies your answer.
 
And the elephant in the room that he has a dodgy action especially when trying to bowl a quick bouncer. He knows he will called up on that he if did that bowl that a few times.

Our test match bowling is in a right mess.
 
Workload etc is a good excuse for his bad performances.

The reality is that he doesn't have any cricketing acumen. If the ball isn't swinging then he doesn't know what to do. He recklessly searches for a wicket, does daft things like coming round the wicket or keeps pitching it up hoping it will swing.

He needs to wise up. If the ball isnt swinging then at least bowl 5 or 6 overs spells with the ball on a tight offstump line.

That's all we need from him.
 
He doesn't seem physically fit currently. Not 100%.

He should be rested till he gets his old rhythm back.
 
NishanKonar said:
I dont understand why people are so obnsessed with Bumrah's pace

Bumrah was highly effective bcoz he had very good control + swing at about 135-140 kph. Exactly what you need in Australia

That's what Shaheen should aspire for. This pace comparison is useless manhood measuring contest !
Click to expand...
I am equating pace with energy. If you have pace and energy on the ball everything happens faster.

Bumrah is good because he is highly skilled at a high ish pace. We were expecting the same of Shaheen. To execute his skills at a high pace by striving hard. Instead he is floating the ball which makes him cannon fodder.
 
zarak said:
I am equating pace with energy. If you have pace and energy on the ball everything happens faster.

Bumrah is good because he is highly skilled at a high ish pace. We were expecting the same of Shaheen. To execute his skills at a high pace by striving hard. Instead he is floating the ball which makes him cannon fodder.
Click to expand...
His ancillary skills are below average.
 
sweep_shot said:
He doesn't seem physically fit currently. Not 100%.

He should be rested till he gets his old rhythm back.
Click to expand...
Don't think it is a rhythm problem. It is the opposition problem. Your rhythm doesn't change series after series. He averaged 29 against SA. Then 16/11/13 against Zimbabwe/Windies/BD. Then 37 against Australia.Then again 19 against Srilanka. Later 37 against SL now this series.
 
As everyone said, Shaheen needs 3-5 month break from cricket. He is an average bowler with average pace. No sting in his bowling.
 
PakHammer said:
And the elephant in the room that he has a dodgy action especially when trying to bowl a quick bouncer. He knows he will called up on that he if did that bowl that a few times.

Our test match bowling is in a right mess.
Click to expand...

And is that the reason for his drop in pace? Hasnain got called?
 
People are jealous of Shaheen and snapping at him with little education behind it. He’s the greatest Pakistani fast bowling talent this century and will be the first to hit 200 Test Wickets since the last Pak bowler who achieved that. He’s better than every alternative in the country and is going out on his shield like a man, rather then being a coward who only plays franchise cricket.

He could do with a bit of time out sure, but a Shaheen on one leg is more valuable then others and he has to lead the attack in a brutal tour of Australia. If he opted out this tour he would be crucified by those complaining about him being over-bowled.
 
cricketjoshila said:
He has been found out. He needs to rework his tactics. He never was 145K bowler. Sometimes bowlers go through phases where they are in top rhythm and they start bowling quicker than usual. Those phases are few.

He should try to develop himself as a swing and seam bowler, who bowls between 135-140.

Enough pace to be a very good bowler if he sticks to a swing and seam routine.

I laugh at people who thought he was anywhere near the great Wasim Akram.
Click to expand...
Probably the same bunch of people who think Babar is as good as SRT, Lara, Kohli or Rizwan the con artist belongs to the league of Gilchrist, Sanga, MS.
 
I think Cummins is a good example of how you can play cross format and all these t20 leagues selectively. He doesn’t pigeonhole himself by saying he will only play certain formats. It all depends on the cricketing calendar. Be smart, make the right choices and you can prolong your career.

Shaheen is not fully fit. He needs to cut down on his commitments and make the right choices in terms of his engagements.
 
He was fast but has dipped.

Its one thing to search for those "magic balls" bowling 145 to 147 km/h and you can get away with bad balls at that pace because the batsmen are actually worried about those inswing magic balls.

But when you are bowling at 125-128 and hope to bowl those "magic deliveries", you wonder if there is some part of the cerebral cortex that isn't aligned with the motor skills of the person in question.

Shaheen has talent if he bowls fast. Its hard for any batsmen to face 145-148 km/h 6.6 inch bowler inswinging deliveries and then worry about outswing from that height too. However, if you are bowling 128 and expecting the same results and then "scratching your head" you should really quit cricket.

Shaheen has lots of work that needs to be done on him.

But first, he needs to learn that his military medium won't do the same tricks his fast balls used to do.
 
Stewie said:
I think Cummins is a good example of how you can play cross format and all these t20 leagues selectively. He doesn’t pigeonhole himself by saying he will only play certain formats. It all depends on the cricketing calendar. Be smart, make the right choices and you can prolong your career.

Shaheen is not fully fit. He needs to cut down on his commitments and make the right choices in terms of his engagements.
Click to expand...

I agree with this post.

Australia are very good at managing their pacers. This is why Hazlewood, Starc, and Cummins are generally always fully fit whenever there is a big series/tournament.

Pakistan need to manage pacers better. Pacers aren't like batters or spinners; they need more care.
 
People are looking too much into it. There is no mystery here.

Shaheen was one of the deadliest fast bowlers in the world until early 2022.

He was over-bowled by Pakistan. He got picked for every match in every format and would get maximum overs.

He got injured prior to the 2022 T20 WC and he was fast-tracked before his rehab was complete. He was unfit throughout the tournament and aggravated his injury in the final.

On the contrary, Bumrah was also injured in 2022 but BCCI allowed him to fully recover. They could have forced him back for the T20 WC like Pakistan forced Shaheen back but they had the sense to realize that one WC is not bigger than the career of arguably their greatest ever pacer.

Bumrah was allowed to rest, recover, resume light training and bowl with intensity only when he was fully fit.

As a result, he came back as good as ever.

PCB on the other hand made the same mistake twice. After Shaheen got injured in the final, he was once again rushed back and not allowed to fully heal.

Shaheen has all-time great potential and he can still realize this potential. He is very young and very good, but he must heal. He must physically recover.

He needs at least 1 year away from the game just like Cummins in 2012.

He needs to do the following:

- not bowl at all for 3-4 months and fully focus on physiotherapy

- resume light training and gym work after 5-6 months

- start bowling with low intensity after 7-8 months

- play a few domestic games after 9-10 months get back in rhythm before making a comeback to international cricket after a year without playing every single match.

If the above happens, there is a 90% chance he will be back to his best in 2025 and will still have at least 6-7 years of peak cricket left.

If things continue as they are, which they will, there is a 90% chance that we will never see the 2019-2021 Shaheen again.

Perhaps it is time for him to look after his own interests and prioritize his career instead of being available for Pakistan all the time and forcing his body to play through injuries.

He needs to be selfish like Rauf. He is too selfless and doesn’t care if his body is falling apart as long as he is playing for his country.
 
Shaheen's career ended the day he got himself involved with Shahid Afridi.

But his association with Shahid Afridi only acted as a catalyst for his diminished performances.

The truth is that being extremely overrated has caught up with him.

Most Pakistani bowlers have a honeymoon period of 2 years before they are completely found out. And Shaheen has also been found out. Apart from his 2 over spell with the new ball, he was a nothing bowler right from the start of his career. Now that he has lost his pace, that initial 2 over spell is also no longer a factor. Rohit and Gill laid Shaheen completely bare with their assault.

He will profit off his reputation for maybe another 2 years by getting lucrative league contracts but his bowling is as ineffective as Jaydev Unadkat's.

Fans are also under the delusion that injury is stopping Shaheen from bowling 145 kph which he used to do. If he is injured since 1.5 years who forces him to play all the T20 leagues? If he is forced to play for Pakistan, then surely he can back out of T20 leagues to focus on his rehabilitation. But he doesn't do it because either he doesn't want to let go off lucrative contracts or he's just not bothered to improve himself anymore.
 
Discipline is key to greatness.

Pakistani cricketers lack discipline in their game and that's why after 2-3 years of exciting performance, they struggle to keep up with the performance as the persistent control and consistency is lacking.
 
Shaheen only played a handful of red ball games before being selected for Pakistan.

He never learned how to bowl in tests because we never allowed him to get any exposure before flinging him into the deep end.

We only play a handful per year and yet he’s supposed to perform in all of them. When does he get a chance to really figure out how to bowl?

I know the problems aren’t quite this simple but we undercook our players and then complain which is a bit unfair.

Naseem has also barely any red ball exposure. He will go the same way as Shaheen because we pick our talents too early.
 
hitthestump said:
Shaheen only played a handful of red ball games before being selected for Pakistan.

He never learned how to bowl in tests because we never allowed him to get any exposure before flinging him into the deep end.

We only play a handful per year and yet he’s supposed to perform in all of them. When does he get a chance to really figure out how to bowl?

I know the problems aren’t quite this simple but we undercook our players and then complain which is a bit unfair.

Naseem has also barely any red ball exposure. He will go the same way as Shaheen because we pick our talents too early.
Click to expand...
Yes of course soft corner for a certain group of players but absolute ridicule and hatred for others

Prime example of hypocrisy here
 
Mamoon said:
People are looking too much into it. There is no mystery here.

Shaheen was one of the deadliest fast bowlers in the world until early 2022.

He was over-bowled by Pakistan. He got picked for every match in every format and would get maximum overs.

He got injured prior to the 2022 T20 WC and he was fast-tracked before his rehab was complete. He was unfit throughout the tournament and aggravated his injury in the final.

On the contrary, Bumrah was also injured in 2022 but BCCI allowed him to fully recover. They could have forced him back for the T20 WC like Pakistan forced Shaheen back but they had the sense to realize that one WC is not bigger than the career of arguably their greatest ever pacer.

Bumrah was allowed to rest, recover, resume light training and bowl with intensity only when he was fully fit.

As a result, he came back as good as ever.

PCB on the other hand made the same mistake twice. After Shaheen got injured in the final, he was once again rushed back and not allowed to fully heal.

Shaheen has all-time great potential and he can still realize this potential. He is very young and very good, but he must heal. He must physically recover.

He needs at least 1 year away from the game just like Cummins in 2012.

He needs to do the following:

- not bowl at all for 3-4 months and fully focus on physiotherapy

- resume light training and gym work after 5-6 months

- start bowling with low intensity after 7-8 months

- play a few domestic games after 9-10 months get back in rhythm before making a comeback to international cricket after a year without playing every single match.

If the above happens, there is a 90% chance he will be back to his best in 2025 and will still have at least 6-7 years of peak cricket left.

If things continue as they are, which they will, there is a 90% chance that we will never see the 2019-2021 Shaheen again.

Perhaps it is time for him to look after his own interests and prioritize his career instead of being available for Pakistan all the time and forcing his body to play through injuries.

He needs to be selfish like Rauf. He is too selfless and doesn’t care if his body is falling apart as long as he is playing for his country.
Click to expand...
Agree with every word. Potw for me.
 
NishanKonar said:
Have said this before & will say it again. Its not injury or fitness. Its called ageing

He is NOT 23. He is most likely 29-30. At that age you start losing pace. That's why most bowlers at that age change their tactics & focus more on length & line. That's what Malcolm Marshall, Richard Hadlee, Glen McGrath Dale Steyn did & now Pat Cummins is doing

Problem with Shaheen he still thinks he has raw pace & keep looking for those glory deliveries. Except that he no more has that pace & at 135 kph those attempted inswingers into the pads end up as innocuous half volleys - to be flicked off the pads to the fence. Like that famous Rickey dialogue - your ego is writing checks you body cannot encash !

Shaheen needs to rework his game , pull back his length & aim for top of 4th stump - not the ankles. Cummins is the perfect illustration of that
Click to expand...
29-30 ? Really ?
 
Ab Fan said:
Discipline is key to greatness.

Pakistani cricketers lack discipline in their game and that's why after 2-3 years of exciting performance, they struggle to keep up with the performance as the persistent control and consistency is lacking.
Click to expand...

I don’t think you watched the match, he has largely kept things very tight and is consistent with his lengths. He isn’t fresh obviously so his pace is down but he is giving it everything, Pakistan know things would truly unravel if they rested him, and there is no suitable alternative. They should rest him for the long term but with the higher ups protective of their positions, they wont do that and if Shaheen took a break, you will see a more violent fan and media response then you did with Rauf.
 
Shaheen Shah Afridi and his heart/spirit/pride are too big for his own good.

The likes of Mo.Amir are defo more Chalak, protected his own interest before the nations.

If Shaheen could borrow some of Amir’s Chalakiyah to prolong his future for Pakistan, that would be nice.

Hey, there’s a rare compoment for Mo. Amir there from me! Hell Froze Over.
 
shaz619 said:
I don’t think you watched the match, he has largely kept things very tight and is consistent with his lengths. He isn’t fresh obviously so his pace is down but he is giving it everything, Pakistan know things would truly unravel if they rested him, and there is no suitable alternative. They should rest him for the long term but with the higher ups protective of their positions, they wont do that and if Shaheen took a break, you will see a more violent fan and media response then you did with Rauf.
Click to expand...
That's very true. As @Mamoon too mentioned if Shaheen were a bit more selfish and sat out games to look after himself, all hell would break loose.

I mean Rambo the clown literally plucked him out of hospital to play wt20.

He has been nothing but utterly selfless for Pakistan. Perhaps we deserve selfish players like Amir instead.
 
Rana said:
Sorry guys. Dil ro raha hai mera…

Watching how the Australians bowled and then comparing to Shaheen’s performances. There is just so much heartache I can take. My beloved Pakistan team
Click to expand...

you were cheering when Babar was stripped from captaincy.. so hope you have no complaints now…

Hopefully the current debacle has tight us all a lesson how good and important Babar’s leadership was..
 
Marooned said:
That's very true. As @Mamoon too mentioned if Shaheen were a bit more selfish and sat out games to look after himself, all hell would break loose.

I mean Rambo the clown literally plucked him out of hospital to play wt20.

He has been nothing but utterly selfless for Pakistan. Perhaps we deserve selfish players like Amir instead.
Click to expand...

I agree, you are seeing all the corrupt traitors being elevated all of a sudden when they can’t even be bothered to play domestic cricket, they have no interest in representing Pakistan and need to recover in a cryogenic chamber after bowling 4 overs.

The audacity to criticise Shaheen Shah Afridi, it should be a crime.

And Rambo was reminiscing the 1992 WC where all the players and the grandpas won with severe handicaps and career threatening injuries, dreaming about that he was like I will play Shaheen even with one arm and one leg, and the thing is they almost pulled it off but the risk came at a cost. Shaheen has been performing at a high level (not his best) following poor recoveries from injuries, still his sacrifices are not appreciated enough, not saying he shouldn’t be selfish but am not seeing like a severe decline like some ignorant folk would have you believe.

If he can play like this at 40%, he truly is the best in the world, that too with no bowling support
 
msb314 said:
you were cheering when Babar was stripped from captaincy.. so hope you have no complaints now…

Hopefully the current debacle has tight us all a lesson how good and important Babar’s leadership was..
Click to expand...
Babar’s leadership made Shaheen bowl properly? Was he his lifeline or something?
 
Glad this masquerade / facade is falling off now and SSA is now exposed as a truly rubbish bowler..

Hopefully he is now dropped for good without any pathway back into the national team.

Really happy this is occurring before he took charge of the T20 team - which would have been a total disaster anyway and our fate would be nothing but tears..
 
zaidihusain said:
Out of his 106 test wickets, he got 61 against Bang, Sri Lanka, WI & ZIM. His 15 wickets against Aus were impact less, he failed to win single test match against Aus. But I must say he has some strong PR agencies on social media. Forget about Wasim-Waqar we need to see if he will be able to emulate Shoaib Akhtar's record
Click to expand...

This. Shaheen is a highly over rated hype job who has lived off that India game in 2021 and also because he is Shahid Afridis son in law. The PCB needs to do him a favor and drop him from the team. It's only a matter of time before he gets the Mohd Amir treatment and is dropped from the team because his performances are utterly embarrassing.
 
Mohd Amir had warned Shaheen against playing each and every game for Pakistan in 2020 ie he is young and fresh therefore he for no will get away with it but eventually it will all catch up with him and it has all happened way quicker than expected.
 
Savak said:
Mohd Amir had warned Shaheen against playing each and every game for Pakistan in 2020 ie he is young and fresh therefore he for no will get away with it but eventually it will all catch up with him and it has all happened way quicker than expected.
Click to expand...

Mo Amir is the last person he needs to take advice from, achieved little in this business, no respect, no honour. The man spat on the green shirt and walked away. Not play each and every game? he’s doing that pretty well isn’t he, his services are no longer required. Shaheen is a working man, the man if the people, not some back alley choor. We need put more respect on the name Shaheen.
 
Okay so will play the devil's advocate from Shaheen's side. Lot of posters here complaining he's a trundler now bowling 125kph. Here's the deal. So Shaheen bowled 45 overs in the test - that's 11 t20 games. If he bowls the same in the next 2 tests - he would have bowled 135 overs which equals to a whopping 33 t20 games! That's an entire psl. Or if international t20s - then they are spread out over say 4 or 5 months. Whereas in tests- he would bowl those in about 1 month.

Not to mention the strain of bowling in the heat as t20s are night games. Plus lot more effort balls in tests with bouncers and a low number of slower balls or cutters. Also you make lot more money with the t20 games. So why put your body through the wringer and potentially injure yourself and then be cast aside and lose out on lucrative t20s? Not like the pcb will help him out - they will just cast him aside and pick another domestic trundler. Make more money and lessen stress on your body and have more longevity ala Harris rauf style..honestly I am even surprised Shaheen is willing to bowl that many overs now in these tests..

Let the snarky commitment to nation, being selfish remarks begin !!🙂
 
shaz619 said:
I don’t think you watched the match, he has largely kept things very tight and is consistent with his lengths. He isn’t fresh obviously so his pace is down but he is giving it everything, Pakistan know things would truly unravel if they rested him, and there is no suitable alternative. They should rest him for the long term but with the higher ups protective of their positions, they wont do that and if Shaheen took a break, you will see a more violent fan and media response then you did with Rauf.
Click to expand...
It is a 3-0 mauling with or without Shaheen. Had Shaheen not played nothing would change in this game.
 
deltexas said:
Okay so will play the devil's advocate from Shaheen's side. Lot of posters here complaining he's a trundler now bowling 125kph. Here's the deal. So Shaheen bowled 45 overs in the test - that's 11 t20 games. If he bowls the same in the next 2 tests - he would have bowled 135 overs which equals to a whopping 33 t20 games! That's an entire psl. Or if international t20s - then they are spread out over say 4 or 5 months. Whereas in tests- he would bowl those in about 1 month.

Not to mention the strain of bowling in the heat as t20s are night games. Plus lot more effort balls in tests with bouncers and a low number of slower balls or cutters. Also you make lot more money with the t20 games. So why put your body through the wringer and potentially injure yourself and then be cast aside and lose out on lucrative t20s? Not like the pcb will help him out - they will just cast him aside and pick another domestic trundler. Make more money and lessen stress on your body and have more longevity ala Harris rauf style..honestly I am even surprised Shaheen is willing to bowl that many overs now in these tests..

Let the snarky commitment to nation, being selfish remarks begin !!🙂
Click to expand...
Because as a sportsman we would expect him to want to be legend and win meaningful games for Pakistan. Winning the PSL does not mean anything. How do Starc and Cummins keep themselves fit. They also play leagues make money but when its time for major tournaments they make sure they are peaking.
 
Marooned said:
My guy, I want average speed. Just one game. Not some balls and then guess work.

Is ball by ball commentary to check speed of some balls your source? And then you make a tukka to guess his average speed? That's not how it works.
Click to expand...
No matter what you say or believe, Indian bowlers have been way faster for a very long time in Tests. Btw, average speed of 145? How many bowlers have that historically? You have a peak pace, and Bumrah used to touch 148ish quite consistently. He bowled above 150+ plenty times. Your opinion makes no difference.
 
Should not be dropped but benched. He needs to rest. Problem is ICC's scheduling of world tournaments. They need to stop having international tournaments each year. Its taking a toll on their body.
 
Rightarmfast said:
No matter what you say or believe, Indian bowlers have been way faster for a very long time in Tests. Btw, average speed of 145? How many bowlers have that historically? You have a peak pace, and Bumrah used to touch 148ish quite consistently. He bowled above 150+ plenty times. Your opinion makes no difference.
Click to expand...
Seems like it does make a difference to you, otherwise you wouldn't be so worked up.
 
Shaheen needs to be given some time off to go and recover mentally and physically. Rather than just being dropped, maybe send him off to a camp so he can be worked on individually. Ive always been a big advocate for the pakistan team to have some kind of psychiatrist or life coach to work with the players and get them on the right track as professional athletes. We all know that the pakistani team operates on emotions and feelings more than anything else.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Im talking about his release, speed, action etc.
Click to expand...
Yes. People are oversimplifiying his non-performance. If he had a record in these parts before and suddenly drops then you can blame it on external things like fatigue etc. He never had a record to start with at any point of his career. I still think it is more technical than physical.His fellow bowlers bowled more or less at the same speed. They looked more threatening.
 
Maliq_Mudasir said:
Does that indicate he is 29-30 ? Then Shami should be around 39-40
Click to expand...
Age is just a number if u keep performing. Just look at Anderson. Shami has perfect seam position & good cricketing brain. Shaheen has neither. He just runs in and tries that glory delivery - that fast inswinging yorker. But he no longer has that pace to pull it off. Hence he has lost his potency. And he does not have that cricketing brain to change his gameplan & start bowling like a Cummins or Anderson or Shami

The thing is Shaheen is NOT 23. So there is no way he will return back to 145 kph again. This narrative that he " not fully fit " is just an excuse to cover up his poor performances over the past 18 months
 
I think we should drop him for the 3rd test match if his performance isn't up to scratch in the second test.
 
I think we should be thinking about this seriously. PCB should rest him for the next game.

I'm saying this because he believes there's nothing wrong with himself; he thinks he's Mr. Perfect.
 
Highly overrated and Toothless bowler. He has always been poor in this format. Mir Hamza outbowled this joke of a leader in Australia. This selfish politician always makes it to playing 11 due to his connections and PR.
 
This bowler is labeled as a better bowler than Bumrah by overly patriotic fans on social media.

His direct competition now is with Mir Hamza, who has already outperformed him in Test cricket by a significant margin.
 
SSA needs to up his game. Not only him but Naseem looks like an average county bowler and back up bowlers like Mir Hamza are even worse.
 
aukhan said:
This bowler is labeled as a better bowler than Bumrah by overly patriotic fans on social media.

His direct competition now is with Mir Hamza, who has already outperformed him in Test cricket by a significant margin.
Click to expand...
Mir Hamza struggled in county cricket in Apr and May and for 2 different counties.He isn't an improvement on these guys, who themselves are struggling.
 
The Indian media have an apt name for Shaheen ie bhagta hua spinner
 
SSA needs to be dropped from all formats. Among the worst performers during the WT20, not fully fit, and has misplaced priorities.
 
Toothless. Nothing in his bowling at all. He needs a rest from all cricket and get that zip back (if it’s even possible at this point)
 
Shaheen is getting continuous chances despite repeated failures. He failed against Australia in test series both at home and away. Other bowlers clearly outperformed him in Australia but still he is enjoying super star status without performances. Bowlers like Abbas are permanently discarded, Wasim Jnr never got consistent opportunities to perform, Mir Hamza is sitting on bench despite performing better than Shaheen against Australia. I don't know why guys like Shaheen & Naseem are favoured over others. Shaheen must be dropped from all format until he regain his form
 
I think he shouldn't be dropped. It is not like other pacers are doing any better.

But, he probably needs to play more FC games.
 
He has shown great improvement as a batter. Perhaps the best lower order Hitter in the world.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

The Bald Eagle
Shaheen Shah Afridi to play for Fortune Barishal in BPL 2025
Replies
29
Views
1K
JaDed
JaDed
BouncerGuy
What should be the ideal Pakistan squad for the Test series against South Africa?
Replies
41
Views
1K
BouncerGuy
BouncerGuy
FearlessRoar
[PICTURES/VIDEOS] Is this finally an admission that our pacers are useless?
2
Replies
82
Views
2K
FearlessRoar
FearlessRoar
The Bald Eagle
[EXCLUSIVE] "Babar Azam needs a sports psychologist": Atiq-uz-Zaman
Replies
22
Views
37K
ask_analyse_act
ask_analyse_act
MenInG
  • Poll Poll
"Mujhay kiyon nikala?": Will dropping Shaheen Shah Afridi for the 2nd Test vs Bangladesh pay dividends in the long run?
Replies
33
Views
1K
cricketjoshila
cricketjoshila
Back
Top