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The limitations of Shaheen Shah Afridi

gazza619

gazza619

Test Debutant
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Jul 30, 2012
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14,179
Shaheen has some decent stats in all formats of the game overall but if we are determined to build our bench strength and look at other options than why is he playing every game for Pakistan?

I dont know what his numbers are in the last 10 or 20 games but he just looks more and more predictable. It was rather refreshing to see M Wasim bowl today. I think we need to give new players more chances to see what they are made of and if there is somebody out there who is a complete package.

What also annoys me about Shaheen is the fact that nowadays he bowls like a bowling machine (hence no use of brain). His other limitations are that he is a number 11 batsman who often bats at 9 or 10 and never ever contributes with the bat.
 
Pakistan should use his 4 overs in the first 8 overs of the game, after that he’s pretty much useless. We’ve got this mindset that the best new ball bowler = best death overs bowler, it doesn’t make sense. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him bowl a slower ball or a cross seamer, he has little variations and like you said he is a bowling machine. First 2 overs bowling into the right hander and looking for swing and last 2 overs he bowls length balls and gets smashed.
 
He has everything one needs in a pacer in terms of natural ingredients as many already know however there are couple or things which he, management and us fans need to realize:

1) Workload management is a misunderstood concept in Pak cricket. Its not just about resting your body rather your mind as well. Being a professional sportsman/ athlete at top level takes a lot out of you mentally as well. Just because you are young and physically fit doesn’t mean you can run in and ball in match after match. That physical freshness but, more importantly that mental freshness is really important which you need your best pacers to feel. Shaheen is young and needs to be managed by team management and selectors so that he doesnt feel the burn which he is or will naturally feel with this amount of work at this level.

2) He is still 21 and a work in progress and should be treated like one from fans as well as critics. He wasn’t supposed to be the leader of the attack when he was forced to become one. Hassan Ali should take that responsibility now that he is fit and Shaheen should bowl in full flow and burden free like any other pacer.
 
That's the Pakistan way. Once a decent player has been found, it's imperative that he plays Every. Single. game for his team, be it all Tests, ODIs and T20s in Zimbabwe to every game in a PSL for his franchise.

Burnout is inevitable.
 
Varun said:
That's the Pakistan way. Once a decent player has been found, it's imperative that he plays Every. Single. game for his team, be it all Tests, ODIs and T20s in Zimbabwe to every game in a PSL for his franchise.

Burnout is inevitable.
Click to expand...

Misbah way, more of.

Misbah used to play Saeed Ajmal in every single game in every format while he was captain. Ajmal had the record of bowling most deliveries between 2011-2014 across teams. Ajmal suffered burnout and increasing bent in his arm by 2014 as a result.

Same with M Amir after his return. After Misbah's retirement, Mickey did recognise the burden on Amir and allowed him to skip home tests.

Now that Misbah is coach, he'll keep on playing Shaheen and Hasan even in dead-rubbers come what may
 
Shaheen is still very young and is a world-class player.

The issue is that Shaheen was at his best when there were experienced players around him, as we saw in the 2019 World Cup. That's when he knew that he would be given more leverage, and so, that's when he was very good with his slower ball and other variations.

Now, he has been handed the title of the leader of the pack at the age of 21. I mean, what kind of a person expects him to not feel the pressure of making mistakes? I think that's why he has stopped trying variations, because he thinks that he has a much bigger role, and I would not be surprised if he is mentally exhausted.

That slower ball to Malan was beautifully executed, and I was surprised that he didn't use it against other batsmen.

Hasan Ali, though he has played more games, is just making a comeback after two years. Shaheen needs someone like Mohammad Amir or Wahab Riaz in ODIs so that he can focus on his own bowling.
 
Varun said:
That's the Pakistan way. Once a decent player has been found, it's imperative that he plays Every. Single. game for his team, be it all Tests, ODIs and T20s in Zimbabwe to every game in a PSL for his franchise.

Burnout is inevitable.
Click to expand...

This. I mean why is he playing every single game?! He has been in the road for how long now?

At around 21 - 23 years if age the workload is insane.

It just shows how poor the set up is. There is sense of rotation or having a bowler take a break.
 
Bir harsh I reckon.

He's learning, he's improving, he will get better.

Important that he has the right guidance around him and that his workload is managed properly.
 
Saj said:
Bir harsh I reckon.

He's learning, he's improving, he will get better.

Important that he has the right guidance around him and that his workload is managed properly.
Click to expand...

I echo Saj's view on this.

Shaheen has all the attributes and its far too early to right him off as a death bowler. Let him have as much experience bowling at the end of an innings as he can get and hopefully he'll develop his death bowling.
 
Apart from limitation his main problems are::

1. Unskilled and un-qualified Waqar as bowling coach who doesn't have the ability to rectify his mistakes
2. Playing all the matches including meaning less ones.
3. Lack of support from other end.
4. Pitches are super flat now-a-days.
 
Shafi said:
Apart from limitation his main problems are::

1. Unskilled and un-qualified Waqar as bowling coach who doesn't have the ability to rectify his mistakes
2. Playing all the matches including meaning less ones.
3. Lack of support from other end.
4. Pitches are super flat now-a-days.
Click to expand...

That last one is not his limitation and anyway should not be a factor.
 
The 2019 world cup was where Shaheen peaked. We had Arthur and Azhar Mahmood in the backroom and they were able to make something click for Shaheen where he began looking like a world class prospect in the making.

We sacked Azhar and brought in Waqar. In these two years Shaheen has not furthered his bowling at all. He may even have gone slightly backwards.

It could be coincidence of course but at the same time i struggle to see what Waqar has done for any bowler as coach.

Shaheen needs access to a world class coach somewhere or anywhere or we may never see the best out of him.
 
Titan24 said:
He has everything one needs in a pacer in terms of natural ingredients as many already know however there are couple or things which he, management and us fans need to realize:

1) Workload management is a misunderstood concept in Pak cricket. Its not just about resting your body rather your mind as well. Being a professional sportsman/ athlete at top level takes a lot out of you mentally as well. Just because you are young and physically fit doesn’t mean you can run in and ball in match after match. That physical freshness but, more importantly that mental freshness is really important which you need your best pacers to feel. Shaheen is young and needs to be managed by team management and selectors so that he doesnt feel the burn which he is or will naturally feel with this amount of work at this level.

2) He is still 21 and a work in progress and should be treated like one from fans as well as critics. He wasn’t supposed to be the leader of the attack when he was forced to become one. Hassan Ali should take that responsibility now that he is fit and Shaheen should bowl in full flow and burden free like any other pacer.
Click to expand...

I like your point on mental rest. I am convinced that if Shaheen takes a complete rest from meaningless series / games, that could do wonders.
 
hitthestump said:
The 2019 world cup was where Shaheen peaked. We had Arthur and Azhar Mahmood in the backroom and they were able to make something click for Shaheen where he began looking like a world class prospect in the making.
Click to expand...

If you see the WC19 Afghanistan Warm up match as well as the Eng series just before the WC19 Shaheen looked to be struggling and thats why wasnt a starter in the WC as well under the same management despite creating impact in some of the previous series. When he was included in in the XI in the mid of the tournament after bit of a gap he started creating impact. I guess it is normal up and down for a young skillful fast bowler who didn't had much experience.
 
He does need to improve his variations and need to use his head abit more. He's the 3rd name on the team sheet.Pakistan need to rotate him and give him rest to refresh his brain and body.
 
Seems to be bowling better at the moment - much better to Gayle.
 
Bowled the same nonsense with the new ball.

That back of the hand slower ball when he attempted to Gayle on which he got hit a 6 shows Shaheen’s mind boggling thought process .

I mean why the hell would you experiment to bowl a ball you never ever ball to universe boss.
 
Bowled a great last over. Pooran was on fire, but couldn't dig out those yorkers until the game was gone.
 
To be fair to him, he was better than his figures have suggested today. Nailed those yorkers (for the most part) in the last two overs. Good contrast to Hasan’s variations and slower ones.
 
give the kid a break please, he has been played in every single meaningless game even T20s, PSL.
 
As the main bowler, don't know why they run him in to the ground with these meaningless T20 tamasha. Needs to be developed into a top class test bowler and odi bowler.

That can't happen unless he's managed properly. A concept Pak management don't understand.
 
gazza619 said:
Shaheen has some decent stats in all formats of the game overall but if we are determined to build our bench strength and look at other options than why is he playing every game for Pakistan?

I dont know what his numbers are in the last 10 or 20 games but he just looks more and more predictable. It was rather refreshing to see M Wasim bowl today. I think we need to give new players more chances to see what they are made of and if there is somebody out there who is a complete package.

What also annoys me about Shaheen is the fact that nowadays he bowls like a bowling machine (hence no use of brain). His other limitations are that he is a number 11 batsman who often bats at 9 or 10 and never ever contributes with the bat.
Click to expand...

Spot on.

I want to use a harsher term, but don't know if the post will be deleted - Shaheen simply has no bowling intelligence!!
 
Kroll said:
As the main bowler, don't know why they run him in to the ground with these meaningless T20 tamasha. Needs to be developed into a top class test bowler and odi bowler.

That can't happen unless he's managed properly. A concept Pak management don't understand.
Click to expand...

According to our Legends, they used to bowl that many overs as a practice. Our Ex-Cricketers forget that, when they used to play it was 9 odis a year and 4 test matches a year.

Shaheen must be rested for the remainder T20s and Pakistan should play Arshad iqbal and Dhani.
 
Barragan said:
Spot on.

I want to use a harsher term, but don't know if the post will be deleted - Shaheen simply has no bowling intelligence!!
Click to expand...

ease up man. It is a t20 game. He bowled a gun over towards the death that set up the game. I think he nailed 8-9 yorkers in a row. You guys just look at the end figures and not the process
 
Shaheen showed his class in the last the game but he does need a rest like I said before the first t20
 
zarak said:
ease up man. It is a t20 game. He bowled a gun over towards the death that set up the game. I think he nailed 8-9 yorkers in a row. You guys just look at the end figures and not the process
Click to expand...

I'm not judging by this one game alone.

He genuinely doesn't have any bowling smarts at all.
 
Barragan said:
I'm not judging by this one game alone.

He genuinely doesn't have any bowling smarts at all.
Click to expand...

Countries like Eng, Aus and India probably too will be all sorts of fancy technology from their computers and laptops to show their bowlers how to bowl in different scenarios.

They will use deep analysis to train their bowlers so they can execute on the pitch and in match situations.

However, Waqar and Misbah will be sat there and be like 'oh yaar, ithe bowl na see, uthe bowl na see, ainj bowl na, flana bowl na...'.
 
Barragan said:
I'm not judging by this one game alone.

He genuinely doesn't have any bowling smarts at all.
Click to expand...

He has other attributes though, speed, bounce, swing with the new ball, and he's a tough competitor. Not the finished product by any means, but still a gun bowler.
 
Barragan said:
I'm not judging by this one game alone.

He genuinely doesn't have any bowling smarts at all.
Click to expand...

He does only issue is his slower bowls are not as shuttle as say Hasan Ali. He is very young and has already bowled really well in many matches of all forms. His last two overs today was also good, Pooran just batted really well, Pooran also tonked Hasan Ali.
 
Few bad days don't change the fact that he and Hasan Ali are the best fast-bowlers we have...in this format and the other two.

Best T20 Economy Rates at the death (17-20) since 2020:

Shaheen Shah Afridi 8.7
Hasan Ali 8.8
Haris Rauf 9.0
Wahab Riaz 9.8
Mohammad Hasnain 9.9
Mohammad Amir 9.9

Shaheen also tends to strike quite often in the first over in T20s. I don't remember the exact stat. But point is we shouldn't be worrying about him and Hasan Ali. We should be worrying about the other fast-bowlers as the table above suggests...
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
Few bad days don't change the fact that he and Hasan Ali are the best fast-bowlers we have...in this format and the other two.

Best T20 Economy Rates at the death (17-20) since 2020:

Shaheen Shah Afridi 8.7
Hasan Ali 8.8
Haris Rauf 9.0
Wahab Riaz 9.8
Mohammad Hasnain 9.9
Mohammad Amir 9.9

Shaheen also tends to strike quite often in the first over in T20s. I don't remember the exact stat. But point is we shouldn't be worrying about him and Hasan Ali. We should be worrying about the other fast-bowlers as the table above suggests...
Click to expand...

Hopefully shaheen doesn't get burnt out
 
shamaan said:
Hopefully shaheen doesn't get burnt out
Click to expand...

He was rested in this game and will be rested in the next aswell. After the test series its just ODIs and T20s till the World Cup and hopefully he'll be rested in some of those games too.
 
I'm curious to know when he gets time to properly practice given all the games he plays.

Surely variations, speed and other skills are all honed and developed away from match day?

He's had precious little time away from the game for ages as we insist he plays in every game imaginable.
 
hitthestump said:
I'm curious to know when he gets time to properly practice given all the games he plays.

Surely variations, speed and other skills are all honed and developed away from match day?

He's had precious little time away from the game for ages as we insist he plays in every game imaginable.
Click to expand...

He’s got a voice, if he doesn’t want to play every game then he can speak to the management. Pakistani cricketers play with fear of losing their spot in the team, hence why they’re more reluctant to miss out on games when fit.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
He was rested in this game and will be rested in the next aswell. After the test series its just ODIs and T20s till the World Cup and hopefully he'll be rested in some of those games too.
Click to expand...

Good because you can tell that his rhythm wasn't right in the last few games.hes the biggest asset to Pakistan bowling.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
He’s got a voice, if he doesn’t want to play every game then he can speak to the management. Pakistani cricketers play with fear of losing their spot in the team, hence why they’re more reluctant to miss out on games when fit.
Click to expand...

Shaheen is guaranteed starter in three formats
 
He needs rest, Shoaib Akhtar mentioned he was forced to play all formats even when he asked management for proper rest. I hope they don't destroy Afridi. The kid is the most exciting Pakistani bowler at the moment.
 
He's bowled a few patchy overs thus far in this innings, got it absolutely spot on when he dismissed Blackwood and Mayers of successive balls but has been inconsistent otherwise. Needs a lot of consistency to become a sustained threat at test level.
 
You can bet your house on the fact that 4 out of 6 balls from Shaheen would be rubbish every over. Thats how he bowls these days.
 
He’s becoming the next Amir initial promise followed by inconsistency and ultimately becoming an average bowler with a few decent spells to keep fans optimistic.
 
Cric1234 said:
He’s becoming the next Amir initial promise followed by inconsistency and ultimately becoming an average bowler with a few decent spells to keep fans optimistic.
Click to expand...

The next Amir?

This guy isn’t anywhere near as good as Amir was in his initial spell until he was banned at Lords. The Amir that played the England and NZ tour aged 19 was an absolute demon!
 
Rana said:
The next Amir?

This guy isn’t anywhere near as good as Amir was in his initial spell until he was banned at Lords. The Amir that played the England and NZ tour aged 19 was an absolute demon!
Click to expand...

Shaheen did well in ODIs Amir showed more in tests but became average bar a few decent spells Shaheen is heading the same way.
 
this is his 24th first class game.

test cricket isnt easy. he has no one in the team who can guide him on how to bowl in tests. hes learning as he goes along. his stats arent great but lots of top bowlers take up to 30 tests before figuring things out.

his bowling is very influenced by limited overs, tries a lot, needs to emulate other tall quicks like ambrose, mcgrath, holder, etc, i.e. work on plugging away just outside off ball after ball and mix up a bit of swing and seam.

but u hope hell learn this with time. i wouldnt pass judgement on him till hes played another 10 or 15 tests.
 
ElRaja said:
this is his 24th first class game.

test cricket isnt easy. he has no one in the team who can guide him on how to bowl in tests. hes learning as he goes along. his stats arent great but lots of top bowlers take up to 30 tests before figuring things out.

his bowling is very influenced by limited overs, tries a lot, needs to emulate other tall quicks like ambrose, mcgrath, holder, etc, i.e. work on plugging away just outside off ball after ball and mix up a bit of swing and seam.

but u hope hell learn this with time. i wouldnt pass judgement on him till hes played another 10 or 15 tests.
Click to expand...

He hasn't shown any improvement in his last 10 tests so i won't hold out hope he'll get there in the next 10.

His returns in England and NZ were very poor given the conditions.

Also that Waqar is clearly having zero benefit to him as a coach.
 
If we play him in all 3 formats, he'll probably decline as a bowler overall. Too many formats/disciplines to master, and his body won't be able to take the strain. How many genuinely fast bowlers play all three formats regularly in today's game? Can't think of many. And Shaheen isn't a super fit athlete either to able too.

I would just use him in limited overs, he clearly prioritises that, and if he focuses on that, maybe he can improve there further instead of getting worse. Get other bowlers to bowl in tests.
 
ElRaja said:
this is his 24th first class game.

test cricket isnt easy. he has no one in the team who can guide him on how to bowl in tests. hes learning as he goes along. his stats arent great but lots of top bowlers take up to 30 tests before figuring things out.

his bowling is very influenced by limited overs, tries a lot, needs to emulate other tall quicks like ambrose, mcgrath, holder, etc, i.e. work on plugging away just outside off ball after ball and mix up a bit of swing and seam.

but u hope hell learn this with time. i wouldnt pass judgement on him till hes played another 10 or 15 tests.
Click to expand...

Crucial point.

We cannot be so harsh on him but then the question is - where are the FC performers?
 
Shaheen is raw, but he has a much higher ceiling than Amir who was a gtb imo. I can see Shaheen being among the Top3 bowlers for next 10 years if he's handled well.
 
Shaheen Afridi is a diamond in the rough: Ian Bishop

Former cricketer Ian Bishop heaped praise on left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi during his commentary stint on the second day of the ongoing Test between West Indies and Pakistan.

Shaheen Afridi bagged two wickets in two balls to break Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood’s 49 runs partnership and dismiss Kyle Mayers, to reduce West Indies to 100-5 and tilting the balance of the contest Pakistan's way.

“Shaheen bowled a superb little spell. The guy is 21 years old. He is a diamond in the rough. When I was 21 years old, I knew nothing about Test cricket, even though I was playing the game. Sometimes you can see something in someone even though at the moment they are not the great player you want them to be,” Bishop said.

https://cricketpakistan.com.pk/en/news/detail/shaheen-afridi-is-a-diamond-in-the-rough-ian-bishop
 
I am sincerely hoping Shaheen proves me wrong and scores some runs with the bat for a change.
 
gazza619 said:
I am sincerely hoping Shaheen proves me wrong and scores some runs with the bat for a change.
Click to expand...

Doesnt even deserve to be even a number 11.

SSA needs to realise that his ducks just arent good enough for modern day cricket.
 
Shaheen has been absolutely magnificent with the new ball today, unplayable.

Defending just 168, he’s taken 3/7 in 4 overs so far.

A reminder of what he can do when on song.
 
King_Kohli said:
Shaheen Afridi is a diamond in the rough: Ian Bishop

Former cricketer Ian Bishop heaped praise on left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi during his commentary stint on the second day of the ongoing Test between West Indies and Pakistan.

Shaheen Afridi bagged two wickets in two balls to break Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood’s 49 runs partnership and dismiss Kyle Mayers, to reduce West Indies to 100-5 and tilting the balance of the contest Pakistan's way.

“Shaheen bowled a superb little spell. The guy is 21 years old. He is a diamond in the rough. When I was 21 years old, I knew nothing about Test cricket, even though I was playing the game. Sometimes you can see something in someone even though at the moment they are not the great player you want them to be,” Bishop said.

https://cricketpakistan.com.pk/en/news/detail/shaheen-afridi-is-a-diamond-in-the-rough-ian-bishop
Click to expand...

Agree with Bish. Posters here have unreal expectations. He is averaging 27.5 in tests, is the fastest Pakistan bowler in tests and has the most international + PSL workload out of all the seamers . What more do you want from him? :inti
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Agree with Bish. Posters here have unreal expectations. He is averaging 27.5 in tests, is the fastest Pakistan bowler in tests and has the most international + PSL workload out of all the seamers . What more do you want from him? :inti
Click to expand...

People want him to be the ultimate mix of Imran+Waqar+Wasim before he turns 25!

:facepalm:
 
Excellent spell by Shaheen today, been in great rhythm today. It was absolutely vital for Pakistan with respect to saving this series that he delivered today.
 
The wicket to blackwood was a brute of a delivery I have never seen him get a wicket like that in tests.World Class Shaheen
 
On his merry way now

A proper 3-5 wicket per innings bowler now
 
He now has 72 wickets at 26.06.

In contrast, Mitchell Starc’s Test average - bowling on faster, bouncier tracks - is 27.57.

Mitchell Johnson took 313 wickets at 28.40.

Trent Boult has 292 wickets at 27.67.

Neil Wagner has 229 wickets at 26.40.

(By way of comparison, Shoaib Akhtar played Tests for a decade and only ended up with 178 wickets at 25.69.)

Shaheen Shah Afridi is a genuine world class talent.

I don’t think he will ever be as good as Starc with a white or pink ball. But he’s already better with a red ball than Starc ever has been.
 
Last edited:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">6-51 are Shaheen Shah Afridi's career-best figures in Test cricket <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WIvsPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WIvsPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/HtwyLHIVku">pic.twitter.com/HtwyLHIVku</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1429869077917585410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shaheen Shah Afridi's bowling in the last 4 Test innings:<br><br>6-51<br>4-50<br>4-59<br>5-52<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/2RUxeQPAQT">pic.twitter.com/2RUxeQPAQT</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1429868334359666688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
street cricketer said:
I think he's going to end his career as Pakistan's best bowler since the 2 Ws.
Click to expand...

You never know with Pak bowlers, there’s always something unfortunate or extremely stupid that gets in the way but he seems like a good kid with immense potential, great to watch
 
This is why I think Pakistan were right to back Naseem Shah and they should continue to let him develop under Hassan, Shaheen and Nauman. With time, he will become a potent wicket taker too.

I think the issue in New Zealand was that the bowlers around Naseem were not helping considering their lack to penetrate the opponent.
 
Would be extremely disappointed if he doesn’t end up with at least 200 test wickets and thus becoming the first one after Waqar Younus.
 
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