• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Is Naseem Shah Better Than Shaheen Afridi Ex Pakistan Cricketer Answers

Is Naseem Shah Better Than Shaheen Afridi? Ex-Pakistan Cricketer Answers

Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi for Pakistan (X.com)Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi for Pakistan (X.com)

Shaheen Afridi is one of the most popular cricketers in Pakistan and is always the centre of attraction. He is currently playing in the Champions One-Day Cup, where he is leading Lions. Though he has picked seven wickets from three matches, his economy rate has been a matter of concern, and the pacer is facing a lot of criticism for his form.

The tall left-arm bowler was also allegedly dropped from the second Test against Bangladesh recently after a poor performance in the first Test, and there are talks that he has lost his byte in recent times. Also, amidst Shaheen's struggle, cricket pundits in Pakistan suggesting that Naseem Shah is better than Shaheen Afridi and that he would be the next leader of the pace attack.

Basit Ali Picks Shaheen Afridi Over Naseem Shah

However, Basit Ali, the former Pakistan middle-order batter, has backed Shaheen Afridi and stated on his YouTube channel that the left-arm pacer is still better than Shaheen Afridi. Basit mentioned that Naseem Shah has better fitness at the moment, but skill-wise, Shaheen Afridi is still the best.

"Naseem has better fitness, and Shaheen is currently struggling with it. But Shaheen is better than Naseem."

Shaheen Afridi Vs Naseem Shah - Career Overview

Shaheen Afridi has been leading Pakistan's pace attack for quite a few years now, and made his debut across formats in 2018. He has over 100 wickets in just 30 Test matches while he has been brilliant in white-ball formats as well over the years with an average of 23.94 and 20.39 in ODIs and T20Is respectively. 

Naseem Shah, on the other hand, made his debut in 2019 as a 16-year-old and has 54 wickets in 18 Test matches. His ODI record is brilliant with 32 wickets in 14 matches while his average and economy rate in T20Is are slightly on the higher side. Both the bowlers have seen their share of injuries so far, and Naseem Shah even missed World Cup 2023 due to a shoulder injury. So, Shaheen Afridi has lot more experience and success at the international level compared to Naseem Shah at this point in time, but both are quality bowlers and are likely to serve Pakistan cricket over the course of next decade.