Pakistan legends question Shaheen's fitness after traumatic loss to India

Shaheen Afridi in action [Source: Twitter]

Pakistan lost their first World Cup game to arch-rivals India by four wickets in Melbourne on Sunday. Despite reducing India to 31 for 4, Pakistan bowlers couldn't seal the game for their team, as Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya led India to a miraculous win. 

Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan's biggest hope with the ball, finished with underwhelming figures of none for 34 in the match. His bowling lacked penetration and was tagged poor by fans and experts. 

Former legends Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Malik, questioned Shaheen's fitness following Pakistan's gut-wrenching defeat. 

While Waqar said that the left-arm pacer lacked ample game time before this high-voltage clash, Malik raised concerns over the drastic fall in his pace. On the other hand, Akram certified both takes, agreeing with two of his former teammates. 

Here's how the discussion went

"What we know of Shaheen and what he delivers, he was not really there (in the match against India). It doesn't matter how much you bowl in the nets. When it comes to crunch games, the pressure games, you need match-practice. And it looks like he is not there yet," said Waqar Younis.

"Shaheen, before the injury, used to bowl consistently at 145 kmph and moved the ball in. It's very difficult for batsmen to deal with that. But today, he was bowling only at 132 or 135 kmph, which shows that he is not completely fit," Malik said. 

"Even if you are a young bowler, if you are not playing top-level cricket for three months, it's not easy. He bowled only six overs in the two practice matches before the World Cup," Akram concluded. 

Although Shaheen seemed unplayable in the practice game against Afghanistan, he failed to replicate the same level of success against India on Sunday. Now, with Pakistan set to treat every game like a virtual quarter-final, the ace pacer needs to bring out his best for his team's success. 

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