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Shaheen Shah Afridi versus Shoaib Akhtar in his prime: who would you prefer in Test cricket?

Savak said:
People are being harsh on Shaheen. Shoaib in 1998 was found wanting against Australia on the same wickets. It takes a beating like this to get a reality check. Next series Shoaib floored Teenda and Dravid and became a super star.

For starters i would like Shaheen to monitor his workload like Australia does with Starc i.e. quit playing every T-20 game, every useless dead rubber games and be fresh for Pakistan in key, important games. He is not super human who can keep running in and bowl 140 km/hr rest, the workload is now catching up with him where his speeds have declined to 135-137 km/hr.

He also has to add more variety to his bowling i.e. instead of predictably pitching the ball up 5-6 balls with the new ball against quality players, he needs to understand the art of making use of his height and bowling well directed bouncers to put the batsman back.

With the reverse swinging ball, he needs to stop bowling a reverse swinging yorker every ball, he should learn from Wasim Akram on how to hide the shine of the ball till the last minute and learn to reverse swing the ball in both directions. One dimensional predictable reverse swing is no problem for quality international batsmen.
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It is naïve to blame SA for the mindless bowling strategy. In my opinion, blaming SA at this stage of his career is very harsh and lack of cricketing knowledge. At SA age, absolute majority of the fast bowlers are still learning cricket while he is leading a test bowling attack! Instead of blindly hating, a little encouragement for him will go a long way. He is an awesome athlete without a doubt. Those who know the fast bowling realize that his peak is still good 4-6 years away when an athlete reaches his crescendo.

For your 2nd point, isn't it amazing that every every Tom, Dick, and Harry knows but the load of embarrassment PCB. The FAST (not fast-medium) bowlers are precious commodities which must be used selectively. SA is getting burned in useless outings.

As far as SA being one dimensional - I am going to disagree. At this age, he is ahead of many fast bowlers. Also, reversing the ball away is very uncommon and require years of experience. Also, I would disagree with you that reversing the ball in at yorker length in test cricket repeatedly can be handled easily by a seasoned bat - no way; perhaps at speed less than 85mph. Anything above will require eagle's eye and concentration. I have seen Imran at his peak and hardly EVER seen him reversing the ball away from a right hander. Waqar feasted on persistently reversing the ball in when conditions favored. Wasim was special and writing about his swing skill is redundancy.

Cheers!
 
Gilly said:
Peak Johnson matched peak Shoiab, Johnson terrified the England team and the batsmen preferred to be in another country when he was bowling.
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Peak Johnson could only match Peak Shoaib anywhere but Pak or UAE. On Pak slow wickets, Peak Shoaib would match Peak Waqar only when the pitches are as dead as this Karachi test wicket . This is my opinion. Cheers!
 
There were thoughts here that Shaheen is already better than Shoaib Akhtar ever was.

Always, I mean always respect your legends. There isn’t, there hasn’t been a bowler in the last decade to replace the ace premier Shoaib Akhtar. As a bowler, as a brand, as a serious threat.
 
Major said:
Shaheen every day.

Akhtar is way overated, especially in test. Akhtar would get you 1 or 2 wickets and for the whole day he would do nothing. He was only effective in spells thats it.

Even in odis once he started to miss his lengths, he wohld give you pacy pies to hit.

Shaheen atleast useses the pitch and is threatning with the ball movement.
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Here you go.
 
Current Shaheen is on the level of Mohammed Abbas for comparisons.

If he did not have height he would be finished with his gentle pace.
 
Shoaib destroys any version of shaheen.

Shoaib also > waqar. Yes i said it.

Only wasim and imran were better than peak shoaib from Pakistan.
 
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I like shaheen. He is a nice guy but lol at comparing him to the best express pacer of all time

Shoaib would have dismantled this pom side. Single handedly.
 
kron said:
Lot of clueless posters here lmao

Shoaib destroys any version of shaheen.

Shoaib also > waqar. Yes i said it.

Only wasim and imran were better than peak shoaib from Pakistan.
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Agree except for sohaib > Waqar.

You guys need to stop with these ball tampering narratives which don't have any proof.

Not everything is a Smith and Warner situation.
 
shaz619 said:
How can anyone remotely overlook an Akhtar in peak form, it’s a disgrace. You’d seriously pick Shaheen over him on dead pitches. Akhtar sure he could have done better with the numbers but in terms of his skill and pace, you’d be daft not to pick him. I know some of you are great historians of the sport, but it’s good to play it a bit to in order to help your understanding, either that or you’re an IT.
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I said this back in 2022, when Shaheen Shah Afridi was in his prime.
 
“Shaheen too would wreak havoc with those heavily doctored balls that our bowlers bowled with in the 80s and 90s.

Had Waqar bowled today, he would not fare much better than Shaheen. In fact, he would definitely be more expensive.

So in my view, he is already the third best fast bowler produced by Pakistan (yes, ahead of Akhtar as well) and the best Pakistani cricketer today because potential wise he is good as any fast bowler around today. “

Ya Allah khair.
 
mominsaigol said:
Agree except for sohaib > Waqar.

You guys need to stop with these ball tampering narratives which don't have any proof.

Not everything is a Smith and Warner situation.
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Bro waqar had wasim to support him

Shoaib dint have that luxury and he still performed really well.

Also waqar dint do so well vs top sides.

Post 94 injury he was never the same.
 
Not sure how I missed this thread! Boy oh boy some people have egg on their faces.

It is blasphemous to compare Shaheen to Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib and it was always blasphemous whether now, 2021, 2022
 
Rana said:
Guess what? I bash Babar too

What does Dilbar Hussain the T20 bowler have to do with this?
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Those days I used to take dig at your posts. I used to think you were criticizing players because your favourites were not getting picked. But I was wrong.
 
RyanRyan10 said:
Ball tampering narrative was started by Mamoon. He started mentioning it as the "dark art" thing. And wanted everyone to believe Shaheen was at Akram level.
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Wasn't that. Waqar just declined badly due to injury. He was still a good bowler.

But post 94 since the injury he averaged like 28. First 5 years he was really good.

But his performance vs top sides weren't good enough for me.

That's why I put shoaib above him as shoaib played with no support. Only Asia and kaneira dor a brief period.
 
kron said:
Wasn't that. Waqar just declined badly due to injury. He was still a good bowler.

But post 94 since the injury he averaged like 28. First 5 years he was really good.

But his performance vs top sides weren't good enough for me.

That's why I put shoaib above him as shoaib played with no support. Only Asia and kaneira dor a brief period.
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Judge from downunder believes we started the narrative
 
kron said:
Wasn't that. Waqar just declined badly due to injury. He was still a good bowler.

But post 94 since the injury he averaged like 28. First 5 years he was really good.

But his performance vs top sides weren't good enough for me.

That's why I put shoaib above him as shoaib played with no support. Only Asia and kaneira dor a brief period.
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Waqar declined badly, that's all that their is.

I saw waqar bowl at the age of 42 and despite losing pace, he still casually was swinging it in the air bowling good offswing and inswing.

It's just at the age of 42 he understandably was bowling at 110 just like Brett Lee was in the recent retired champions league.

Unless waqar at age 42 was also ball tampering in a low level league just for fun and giggles which no one can prove you can't claim shaheen is better.

But I'm not suprised, Mamoon is the same guy who told me and @Rana that A fit and firing shaheen is the 3rd greatest pakistani pacer of all time only behind imran and wasim and that had haris rauf played in the old era, he'd be above waqar recking havoc on the opposition 🤣🤣
 
TheSultan said:
Not sure how I missed this thread! Boy oh boy some people have egg on their faces.

It is blasphemous to compare Shaheen to Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib and it was always blasphemous whether now, 2021, 2022
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Ball tampering for waqar was started by an Indians who like always will go life and limb to discredit others and turn bumrah into their father.

I have seen past threads where the likes of zaheer Khan are being praised as underrated gems based of the narrative that atleast he didn't chuck or cheat.


Waqar is a genuine great pacer. He's overrated yes as he's no where close to the league of wasim, Mcgrath or pacers who alot of Pakistani's in the past have claimed, However he's comfortably better then today's lot.

Basically in a nutshell if you're a supporter of Pakistan you hate gand like rizwan, Shaheen etc and love actual good bowlers like waqar, wasim etc.

But if you're an Indian supporter with some Indian supporters pretending to be Pakistani supporters as well its the polar opposite.

I've noticed a trend recently that their is not a single indian supporter that hates rizwan minus a few. They all have a strange infatuation with rizzu but hate actual atg's like inzi.

Indian logic

Rizwan is the best batsmen of Pakistan because I don't watch a low level league but waqar younis is a cheater and bumrah is the father of mcgrath HAHAHAHAHA
 
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I'm suprised I haven't seen any Indians chere and make the sohaib Akhtar meme about bowling nahi ho rahi and portray a nostalgia card argument claiming he's as rubbish as Shaheen 🤣🤣
 
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Shaheen wipes the floor with the druggie. He helped Pakistan beat India in a World Cup. What has Shoaib done for Pakistan? Absolutely nothing.

Shaheen 2019-2021 is the third greatest Pakistani pacer of all time. He has been struggling with injury and you have to blame PCB for it. They never allowed him to recover after running him into the ground.

He should have never played the 2022 T20 World Cup and he should have never been fast tracked again after he got hurt in the final.

Shaheen is a true patriot who is always there for his country even when he is unfit. Perhaps he should be selfish like Amir and make himself unavailable and perhaps only then the ungrateful supporters would give him the respect that he deserves.
 
mominsaigol said:
I'm suprised I haven't seen any Indians cone here and make the sohaib Akhtar meme about bowling nahi ho rahi and portray a nostalgia card argument claiming he's as rubbish as Shaheen 🤣🤣
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6 for 11 on a very flat track was a good spell. On the same pitch where Inzi made 300 plus. He could take pitch out of the equation at times.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
6 for 11 on a very flat track was a good spell. On the same pitch where Inzi made 300 plus. He could take pitch out of the equation at times.
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The gap between classic pakistan and current Pakistan is so enormous that it isn't even funny anymore.

Their is not a single pakistani cricketer in the modern era that is superior to classic pakistan.

And yes that includes Rizwan. Hiding behind the keeping clause doesn't matter, Past keepers of pak batted at 7 to 8 as they were specialist keepers and didn't make way for batters.

A t20 opener, no 4 MO in loi and no 6 test batter will be treated and compared aith past batters who played at said no.
 
mominsaigol said:
Waqar declined badly, that's all that their is.

I saw waqar bowl at the age of 42 and despite losing pace, he still casually was swinging it in the air bowling good offswing and inswing.

It's just at the age of 42 he understandably was bowling at 110 just like Brett Lee was in the recent retired champions league.

Unless waqar at age 42 was also ball tampering in a low level league just for fun and giggles which no one can prove you can't claim shaheen is better.

But I'm not suprised, Mamoon is the same guy who told me and @Rana that A fit and firing shaheen is the 3rd greatest pakistani pacer of all time only behind imran and wasim and that had haris rauf played in the old era, he'd be above waqar recking havoc on the opposition 🤣🤣
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Hahaha fit and firing shaheen haha


I told some dude before shaheen is not better than siraj. And i was right. Siraj is the better test bowler. He is the worst bowler for Indian at the moment.


Shoaib is one of my favourite bowlers of all time. Greatest express pacer.
 
What a thread.....
unfair to both guys to compare....
As an indian lover of true pace bowling....in the 90's and 2000's whenever Shoaib bowled and wherever -no matter what country- timings etc - me and my bros used to wake up/go to sleep late/do whatever jugaad it takes to watch him bowl...
He was diamond crazy box office.....brought backsides on seats - no matter what your nationality...

a one off...free spirit....like the plane celebration....

isko deewaange/mohabbat/call it what u like....Shoaib's aura transcended borders.
I wish we could see anyone else like him....
 
kron said:
Hahaha fit and firing shaheen haha


I told some dude before shaheen is not better than siraj. And i was right. Siraj is the better test bowler. He is the worst bowler for Indian at the moment.


Shoaib is one of my favourite bowlers of all time. Greatest express pacer.
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Read some of my past posts before asia cup 2023.

Even back then I called shaheen out for his rubbish despite the so called they cannot play him memes.

Shaheen in prime, Has that one killer inswing which he kept getting rohit and many other top order bats out on which deserves alot of respect.

In t20 he was the most lethal because his 2 over spells would win the game and by the time he came at the death the wickets were falling and oppositions gift wickets anyway.

But even in his prime he was a rubbish middle overs and death overs bowlers.

He got exposed badly againat Australia in 2021 because for the first time he had to deal with a set mattew wade determined to take his team home, amd even in his prime, he's get exposed constantly once his opening 5 over spell was done.

Even in his prime his over pitches, full lengths, and full tosses and half trackers were nothing new.

Now that he's lost that killer inswing spam, he's lost everything.

Granted prime shaheen was atleast bowling 141 whereas now it's 131 to 132.

But still his prime is no different from current beyond that one killer inswing with pace. Loss of that meant loss of his identity as a bowler.
 
Mamoon said:
Shaheen wipes the floor with the druggie. He helped Pakistan beat India in a World Cup. What has Shoaib done for Pakistan? Absolutely nothing.

Shaheen 2019-2021 is the third greatest Pakistani pacer of all time. He has been struggling with injury and you have to blame PCB for it. They never allowed him to recover after running him into the ground.

He should have never played the 2022 T20 World Cup and he should have never been fast tracked again after he got hurt in the final.

Shaheen is a true patriot who is always there for his country even when he is unfit. Perhaps he should be selfish like Amir and make himself unavailable and perhaps only then the ungrateful supporters would give him the respect that he deserves.
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Umar gul alone would wipe the floor with shaheen.

Gul also got injured multiple times but never regressed like this, despite the fact that he too played all formats.

Even in 2013 he still got 5-6 against a prime sa featuring de kock, de villers etc in t20.

Dude was next level in t20 and while not as good in odi and test as his t20 self, he was miles and miles superior to Shaheen.

Calling shaheen 3rd best aka a fraud who in his prime had that one killer inswing spam that fooled the massive best is hilarious.

No offense but this is not a good cricketing take.
 
mominsaigol said:
Read some of my past posts before asia cup 2023.

Even back then I called shaheen out for his rubbish despite the so called they cannot play him memes.

Shaheen in prime, Has that one killer inswing which he kept getting rohit and many other top order bats out on which deserves alot of respect.

In t20 he was the most lethal because his 2 over spells would win the game and by the time he came at the death the wickets were falling and oppositions gift wickets anyway.

But even in his prime he was a rubbish middle overs and death overs bowlers.

He got exposed badly againat Australia in 2021 because for the first time he had to deal with a set mattew wade determined to take his team home, amd even in his prime, he's get exposed constantly once his opening 5 over spell was done.

Even in his prime his over pitches, full lengths, and full tosses and half trackers were nothing new.

Now that he's lost that killer inswing spam, he's lost everything.

Granted prime shaheen was atleast bowling 141 whereas now it's 131 to 132.

But still his prime is no different from current beyond that one killer inswing with pace. Loss of that meant loss of his identity as a bowler.
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For such a tall guy he gets very little bounce
 
kron said:
For such a tall guy he gets very little bounce
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yes. That is noticeable. He has a very awkward release which is specifically to bowl one type of delivery which is basically to curve the ball back into the right hander. Not a quick arm action like Akram or slingshot action like Mitchell Johnson.
 
Rana said:
I ask you all now (those who have seen Shoaib Akhtar play Test cricket), who would you prefer as your bowler in the sub-continent and flat decks out of the two? I am 100% in favour knowing that I witnessed a great bowler with the new and old ball on seriously hard decks. This version of Shaheen Afridi is currently unfit to tie the shoe laces of the legendary express talisman of Pakistan cricket. He was the pride of our nation and it hurts me to see people disrespect his contributions to Pak cricket because he only took 178 wickets!
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There is banned word I would use for Shaheen. He has turned to out to be that. Shoaib was a lion.
 
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jnaveen1980 said:
yes. That is noticeable. He has a very awkward release which is specifically to bowl one type of delivery which is basically to curve the ball back into the right hander. Not a quick arm action like Akram or slingshot action like Mitchell Johnson.
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No skill development. Just tries to go for big booming inswing all the time.
 
kron said:
For such a tall guy he gets very little bounce
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It's because he's a doofus bowler, not because of his action. No disrespect to @jnaveen1980 but I disagree with his take.

The problem with shaheen is that he clearly enjoys t20 cricket more then any other form of cricket. That was always the case.

The problem was that he kept working on his killer inswing and tried to bait batters to loft so he could take wickets on every delivery.

This is the issue you have when bowlers prefer t20 cricket for test or odi.

Test or odi teach you how to bowl line, length and have the fitness and stamina to bowl very very long spells.

Bumrah, Mcgrath ans many others improved from playing excessive fc.

One of the reasons Indian's keep producing good cricketers is because they select their stars from the ranji trophy, not ipl video game pitches which are their just for entertainment.

Hence their players have played in good pitch conditons and all have the stamina and strength and intelligence + experience to play long and lengthy spells or innings.

Pcb either selects entirely from Psl, or they select from nepotism and connections and that's about it. None of the current crop has gone through the county system that yousaf and many others have.

And no shan hasn't, he's a drop out and I have seen his yorkshire fraud nonsense.

The pitches are farigh for test cricket, and psl + nepotism doesn't help selection.

Pakistani pacers are rubbish because they simply do not have the fitness, Stamina or discipline or intelligence to bowl lengthy spells ans accurate line and length.

Mcgrath was the best at this, he understood that to take a wicket, you don't try to force it. You bowl troubling line and lengths with consistency and batters will give you their wicket.

Bumrah is the same, in 2024 t20 wc, he beat sa simply by bowling accurate line and length. Despite 24 of 22 needed, he didn't go for a yorker, or try to bait batters or bouncers.

He just bowled accurate and it did the job.
 
mominsaigol said:
It's because he's a doofus bowler, not because of his action. No disrespect to @jnaveen1980 but I disagree with his take.

The problem with shaheen is that he clearly enjoys t20 cricket more then any other form of cricket. That was always the case.

The problem was that he kept working on his killer inswing and tried to bait batters to loft so he could take wickets on every delivery.

This is the issue you have when bowlers prefer t20 cricket for test or odi.

Test or odi teach you how to bowl line, length and have the fitness and stamina to bowl very very long spells.

Bumrah, Mcgrath ans many others improved from playing excessive fc.

One of the reasons Indian's keep producing good cricketers is because they select their stars from the ranji trophy, not ipl video game pitches which are their just for entertainment.

Hence their players have played in good pitch conditons and all have the stamina and strength and intelligence + experience to play long and lengthy spells or innings.

Pcb either selects entirely from Psl, or they select from nepotism and connections and that's about it. None of the current crop has gone through the county system that yousaf and many others have.

And no shan hasn't, he's a drop out and I have seen his yorkshire fraud nonsense.

The pitches are farigh for test cricket, and psl + nepotism doesn't help selection.

Pakistani pacers are rubbish because they simply do not have the fitness, Stamina or discipline or intelligence to bowl lengthy spells ans accurate line and length.

Mcgrath was the best at this, he understood that to take a wicket, you don't try to force it. You bowl troubling line and lengths with consistency and batters will give you their wicket.

Bumrah is the same, in 2024 t20 wc, he beat sa simply by bowling accurate line and length. Despite 24 of 22 needed, he didn't go for a yorker, or try to bait batters or bouncers.

He just bowled accurate and it did the job.
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From what I recall. Shaheen barely played first class. He went from under 19 star and then straight to A team and then the first team.
 
Mamoon said:
Shaheen wipes the floor with the druggie. He helped Pakistan beat India in a World Cup. What has Shoaib done for Pakistan? Absolutely nothing.

Shaheen 2019-2021 is the third greatest Pakistani pacer of all time. He has been struggling with injury and you have to blame PCB for it. They never allowed him to recover after running him into the ground.

He should have never played the 2022 T20 World Cup and he should have never been fast tracked again after he got hurt in the final.

Shaheen is a true patriot who is always there for his country even when he is unfit. Perhaps he should be selfish like Amir and make himself unavailable and perhaps only then the ungrateful supporters would give him the respect that he deserves.
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This is just Zid for the sake of zid! Using this logic we can say Waqar between 1990-1994 was the greatest bowler of all time cos his numbers were earth shattering!

And if we do that, where does that leave Shaheen 2021-2022
 
Major said:
Shaheen every day.

Akhtar is way overated, especially in test. Akhtar would get you 1 or 2 wickets and for the whole day he would do nothing. He was only effective in spells thats it.

Even in odis once he started to miss his lengths, he wohld give you pacy pies to hit.

Shaheen atleast useses the pitch and is threatning with the ball movement.
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Shaheen Shah has been exposed badly, not sure how he continues to play for Pakistan..

Must be dropped immediately..


No comparison with Shoaib Akhtar...
 
TheSultan said:
This is just Zid for the sake of zid! Using this logic we can say Waqar between 1990-1994 was the greatest bowler of all time cos his numbers were earth shattering!

And if we do that, where does that leave Shaheen 2021-2022
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He will say something like ball tampering.

Like yes bro, waqar ball tampered and cheated but was never caught. What's my proof? Well I was their in the closet with him while he was rubbing the ball on his bottom.
 
Mamoon said:
Shaheen wipes the floor with the druggie. He helped Pakistan beat India in a World Cup. What has Shoaib done for Pakistan? Absolutely nothing.

Shaheen 2019-2021 is the third greatest Pakistani pacer of all time. He has been struggling with injury and you have to blame PCB for it. They never allowed him to recover after running him into the ground.

He should have never played the 2022 T20 World Cup and he should have never been fast tracked again after he got hurt in the final.

Shaheen is a true patriot who is always there for his country even when he is unfit. Perhaps he should be selfish like Amir and make himself unavailable and perhaps only then the ungrateful supporters would give him the respect that he deserves.
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SSA needs to be dropped ASAP from all formats, he needs to play domestic cricket and work on getting his pace and swing back...

In current form, he is not effective at all...
 
mominsaigol said:
waqar ball tampered and cheated but was never caught. What's my proof?
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First internatioanl player to be suspended for ball tampering,

Before suspension, he was warned during the Third Test against Sri Lanka in Kandy as well.

www.espncricinfo.com

Waqar first to be fined for ball tampering

Colombo, July 10: Pakistan's paceman, Waqar Younis, became the first player ever at the Test and International level to be suspended and fined for tampering the ball during the match against South Africa, under the ICC Code of Conduct
www.espncricinfo.com www.espncricinfo.com

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Shaheen has a long way to go to be called third best pacer from Pakistan. The way he is going , I don't think he will even get close. He needs to pick some more skills and keep his pace up.
 
Buffet said:
First internatioanl player to be suspended for ball tampering,

Before suspension, he was warned during the Third Test against Sri Lanka in Kandy as well.

www.espncricinfo.com

Waqar first to be fined for ball tampering

Colombo, July 10: Pakistan's paceman, Waqar Younis, became the first player ever at the Test and International level to be suspended and fined for tampering the ball during the match against South Africa, under the ICC Code of Conduct
www.espncricinfo.com www.espncricinfo.com

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Shaheen has a long way to go to be called third best pacer from Pakistan. The way he is going , I don't think he will even get close. He needs to pick some more skills and keep his pace up.
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This was in 2000, theirs zero evidence for 1990 to 1994, literally none.

You can't just assume, that's what I'm saying.

Post 1994 waqar was a total has been.

You need actual proof to determine if he was cheating or not during 1990 to 1994.

Using the argument that oh he cheated in 2000 so very likely he cheated in the past is flawed, as its a semantical argument.

One cam easily say it makes more sense for him to ball tamper post 1994 to find a way to stay relevant.

You need proof that he ball tampered and consistently did so every game from 1990 to 1994. Not just one sa game in 2000
 
mominsaigol said:
You need proof that he ball tampered and consistently did so every game from 1990 to 1994. Not just one sa game in 2000
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Proof of consistently in every game for 4 years? You are never going to get that kind of proof.

Anyway, let's not side track this thread. Akhtar trumps Shaheen in skills as a bowler. Akhtar wasn't just one trick bowler and he could actually bowl some real pace.
 
Buffet said:
Proof of consistently in every game for 4 years? You are never going to get that kind of proof.

Anyway, let's not side track this thread. Akhtar trumps Shaheen in skills as a bowler. Akhtar wasn't just one trick bowler and he could actually bowl some real pace.
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If you can't get that kind of proof, then it's baseless to begin with.

I have no issues in confirming shabbir Ahmed, Saeed ajmal and many others as cheats.
 
Shoaib is comfortably better. He would have been ATG if not for a 10 test sample more. Definitely a Pakistan great.

Shaheen is nowhere near in Test cricket. He needs to dominate a series in England or New Zealand to build a legacy for himself in Tests because as things stands now, his home performance seems unlikely to improve.
 
Rana said:
That was Ricky Ponting

What about Liton Das smoking Shaheen in Rawalpindi?
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Yeah I didn't get his argument either.

I understand he's referring to prime shaheen only and made that comment years ago, but what sort of logic is this?

Ricky Pointing is one of the greatest batters of all time? Every Australian great rates him as the 2nd greatest batter to ever come out of Australia after Bradman?

Whereas Shaheen even in Prime was just a one trick new ball spell pony? Any time a batter like mattew wade would get set, they'd smoke him into next week?

David Warner even in 2019 put shaheen in his place in the world cup? Infact I remember that game whole heartedly because the bashing that shaheen received is what caused mickey to panic and avoid playing him against India next game.

Mickey even quote on quote said that the reason shaheen was dropped was because he didn't want to dent his confidence, A beating vs Australia followed by India would have been too much hence why Bangladesh was more up his ally at the time 🤣.

Funny thing is mickey was right considering what happened in asia cup 2023 when Babar stubbornly refused lol
 
This is hilarious. Shoaib Akhtar had a wild dawg in him. Even in tough condition, he wud come all guns blazing at the batters. Go for broke.

Shaheen right now is just listless. No energy. No effort. Just run in and bowl innocuous 130 kph length deliveries.
 
A bowler like Abbas would have been a 200+ test wicket type bowler. Shoaib himself is not a great template.He was exciting to watch but he has no real test pinnacle to boast of either. He still keeps taking about the wickets of Sachin and Dravid in his debut test. However apples to apples better than Shaheen in tests and Lois.

Having said that the bowling attack Shoaib was part of was 20 times better than the current Pak bowling line up so some sympathy points to Shaheen.
 
Local.Dada said:
A bowler like Abbas would have been a 200+ test wicket type bowler. Shoaib himself is not a great template.He was exciting to watch but he has no real test pinnacle to boast of either. He still keeps taking about the wickets of Sachin and Dravid in his debut test. However apples to apples better than Shaheen in tests and Lois.

Having said that the bowling attack Shoaib was part of was 20 times better than the current Pak bowling line up so some sympathy points to Shaheen.
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He was an X factor bowler. Can go for runs. Can also run through sides. One thing i appreciated about Brett Lee and Akhtar was they never compromised on pace.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
He was an X factor bowler. Can go for runs. Can also run through sides. One thing i appreciated about Brett Lee and Akhtar was they never compromised on pace.
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They didn’t compromise on pace but they also had skills. Brett Lee like Waqar became a better all-condition bowler towards the end of the career. Shoaib had natural skills and bowling acumen but never improved and focused on the wrong hoo-haa.

Shaheen seems hard working relatively speaking but he has been handled very poorly.
 
Local.Dada said:
A bowler like Abbas would have been a 200+ test wicket type bowler. Shoaib himself is not a great template.He was exciting to watch but he has no real test pinnacle to boast of either. He still keeps taking about the wickets of Sachin and Dravid in his debut test. However apples to apples better than Shaheen in tests and Lois.

Having said that the bowling attack Shoaib was part of was 20 times better than the current Pak bowling line up so some sympathy points to Shaheen.
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Sometimes I feel you are Faham ul Haq in the disguise of an Indian cricket fan.
 
At least Shoaib can get you wickets with his pace but Shaheen is totally dependent on seaming conditions.... If he gets any flat tracks he becomes ineffective.
 
Rana said:

Haye oye ♥️
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One thing to observe. No disrespect to Akhtar as some of his banger lbw and stumps thrown around were gun to watch,

But the field placement is infinitely better and superior. By a massive margin. And I repeat a massive massive margin.

Shows how rubbish of a captain Shan is. Especially when he took Babar's advise in this game who somehow made the field settings even worse 🤣🤣.

And then when he asked for rizzu's help, it became even worse haha.

Literally lack of slips, lack of fielders placed at the back, bowlers not being able to bowl according to field settings. No innovation like putting a silly mid on or off especially when the legspinner is bowling around the stumps.
 
mominsaigol said:
One thing to observe. No disrespect to Akhtar as some of his banger lbw and stumps thrown around were gun to watch,

But the field placement is infinitely better and superior. By a massive margin. And I repeat a massive massive margin.

Shows how rubbish of a captain Shan is. Especially when he took Babar's advise in this game who somehow made the field settings even worse 🤣🤣.

And then when he asked for rizzu's help, it became even worse haha.

Literally lack of slips, lack of fielders placed at the back, bowlers not being able to bowl according to field settings. No innovation like putting a silly mid on or off especially when the legspinner is bowling around the stumps.
Click to expand...
Look at the batsmen being outfoxed here

This was KP’s debut tour of Pakistan, I think maybe he 7th Test where he scored a ton. It was his highest score being 100ish

Bobsy Era allowed Harry Brook to score 4 hundreds in 4 Tests, and one of them being a triple ton.

Same placid tracks, same caliber of batsmen.
 
Rana said:
Look at the batsmen being outfoxed here

This was KP’s debut tour of Pakistan, I think maybe he 7th Test where he scored a ton. It was his highest score being 100ish

Bobsy Era allowed Harry Brook to score 4 hundreds in 4 Tests, and one of them being a triple ton.

Same placid tracks, same caliber of batsmen.
Click to expand...
KP > Brook tbh. Ik it was KP's debut tour, and I'm sure Brook will be a future atg especially in test,

However KP was changing the gane for England when England was literally down under and stuck up in their old ways.

It's a huge shame he didn't get to play during England's shift to bazzball and aggressive whiteball cricket in 2016. Cause he really was kinda a founding father especially when he had to carry the likes of Ian bell, Johnanthon trott and even cook in odi for a while lol.

2010 t20 world cup win is literally just KP vs the world.

He's an underrated gem for England, doesn't get the respect he deserves which he would have if he was Indian or Aussie or heck even SA or WI since I've noticed alot of SA and WI cricketers get noticed as well.

Brook came in an era of bazzball and aggressive whiteball cricket. Huge huge difference since he got nutured by the system.

English players get swept under the rug probs cause England is a multi sport country.
 
Mamoon said:
Shaheen wipes the floor with the druggie. He helped Pakistan beat India in a World Cup. What has Shoaib done for Pakistan? Absolutely nothing.

Shaheen 2019-2021 is the third greatest Pakistani pacer of all time. He has been struggling with injury and you have to blame PCB for it. They never allowed him to recover after running him into the ground.

He should have never played the 2022 T20 World Cup and he should have never been fast tracked again after he got hurt in the final.

Shaheen is a true patriot who is always there for his country even when he is unfit. Perhaps he should be selfish like Amir and make himself unavailable and perhaps only then the ungrateful supporters would give him the respect that he deserves.
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Shoaib Akhtar played through unimaginable pain, wearing the Pakistan star as if he were defending his country at war. He put his body on the line despite being mismanaged by PCB’s medical team. His dedication went beyond the numbers. The measure is how you’re remembered afterwards. Akhtar’s clips are still watched today, I highly doubt anyone is goona rewind to watch Shaheen apart from one or two spells.

You can point to his number of wickets and argue he could have achieved more, but Akhtar was rarely fully fit throughout his career. He was born with a defective bone structure. Even so, his impact was enormous.

Comparing India performances, Akhtar claimed 19 wickets in ODIs against the blue. Don’t forget he dismissed Sachin and Dravid in two balls and took 8 wickets across two innings. His sheer pace, lethal yorkers, and clever variations later in his career made him a nightmare for any batting lineup. Almost every top batsman who faced him has said they were scared $hitless to face him. Nowadays, batsmen sleep like babies knowing they’re goona face Shaheen.

For recent comparison, Akhtar’s 2005 series against England in Multan remains unforgettable and is a memory etched in my mind forever. He took 17 wickets in 3 Tests, playing a pivotal role in Pakistan’s series win over a formidable English squad that had just defeated Australia in the Ashes. With his raw pace, sharp slower balls, and ability to smash the stumps, Akhtar dominated an England squad known for its strength, especially in the wake of such a monumental achievement.

By contrast, Shaheen Afridi, while arguably still talented, lacks any semblance of consistency and longevity that Akhtar displayed under far, far more challenging circumstances. Shaheen’s early promise has plateaued, and he hasn’t yet matched Akhtar’s defining moments against top teams on the biggest stages.
 
RyanRyan10 said:
Shaheen Afridi averages 37.75 against SENA nations in tests. How do you defend this? @Local.Dada
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Never said he was better than Shoaib but how did the team perform overall and how did his team mates do? Also don’t rate Shaheen as a test bowler but given the other options, decent but a gun loi bowler currently going through form and injury issues.
 
Shaheen's career is already finished. He clearly is an age fudger. He is bowling like a 30 plus year old already.
 
Honestly, the only guys that hate shoaib are passive individuals who believe we can overcome with our capacity to love!
 
usman.sandhu said:
Shaheen Shah has been exposed badly, not sure how he continues to play for Pakistan..

Must be dropped immediately..


No comparison with Shoaib Akhtar...
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i agree, the guy has become a joke and needs to be thrown back to first class
 
Is this a joke?

Shaheen is not fit to tie shoelaces of a bowler who used to crank it upto 150s and change games.
 
Rumours on social media that Shaheen is considering retiring from Test Cricket in order to focus on whiteball cricket.
 
Savak said:
Rumours on social media that Shaheen is considering retiring from Test Cricket in order to focus on whiteball cricket.
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Not going to lie, if he does that he's a coward, be like a James Anderson or a Stuart Broad, not a Hardik Pandya.
 
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