![Shaheen Afridi's performances have dipped in recent years [Source: @niazi_54, @AbrarSaeed721/x.com]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1757779249665_ShaheenAfridiredemptionAsiaCup.jpg?type=mq)
Shaheen Afridi's performances have dipped in recent years [Source: @niazi_54, @AbrarSaeed721/x.com]
When India and Pakistan meet under the lights at Dubai on Sunday, memories will come flooding back. The same venue, the same rivalry and maybe… the same man waiting to strike again.
Back in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Shaheen Shah Afridi lit up the night sky. One new ball in hand and within a blink, India were 6/2. He pinned Rohit Sharma for a golden duck, sneaked one through KL Rahul and came back to remove Virat Kohli. It was the spell that turned him from a rising kid into Pakistan’s poster boy.
From Firestarter To Fading Flame
That night in Dubai changed everything. Shaheen Afridi became the talk of the town, the guy who made world-class batters look like deer in headlights. But since then, the magic hasn’t quite sparkled as brightly.
Over the last three years, the numbers tell a quiet tale. In 2023, he played just 5 T20Is and took only 6 wickets at an economy over 8.7. In 2024, he played 23 games and grabbed 36 wickets, but even then he bled at 8.11 an over.
In 2025 so far, he has just 9 wickets from 11 matches, conceding over 7.4 per over; decent but not the jaw-dropping stuff he was once known for.
For someone who once made new balls talk like reverse-swinging poetry, the zip has gone missing. The early breakthroughs dried up, the yorkers lost their bite and the aura has dimmed a little.
A Familiar Stage, A Golden Chance
But cricket has a funny way of circling back. This time, India and Pakistan meet again in Dubai, in the Asia Cup 2025. The same pitch where he became a household name now offers him a chance to reclaim his crown.
If Shaheen wants to bring back the roar, there is no better opponent than India and no better theatre than Dubai. One lethal powerplay spell could flip the game.
Get through someone like Abhishek Sharma early, knock over Shubman Gill or Suryakumar Yadav and suddenly the noise will be deafening again. Pakistan fans will be chanting and the chatter around “Shaheen’s back” will echo loud.
Needs Rhythm More Than Records
Right now, Shaheen doesn’t need a five-wicket haul, he just needs rhythm. He needs that first ball that hurries the batter, that first roar after a thick edge flies to slip.
Once his tail is up, he bowls with fire in his eyes. We have seen it before. He is not someone who builds slowly; he is someone who explodes into form.
The key will be trusting his swing again, pitching it up even if it risks being driven and using the bounce in Dubai smartly. When he goes searching for magic balls every delivery, he leaks runs. When he hits the top of off, the magic comes on its own.
Time To Write His Comeback Chapter
Shaheen’s 2021 spell was his breakout movie. The last few years have been the quiet sequel. But this India clash can be the redemption arc, the heroic return to where it all began, the full-circle moment.
If he gets it right, he won’t just be winning a group game. He will be silencing the whispers, proving the fire hasn’t gone out and reminding everyone why they once feared facing him under those Dubai lights.
Because if there is one thing we know about Shaheen Afridi: when he smells blood, he doesn’t just take wickets, he tears through reputations!
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