'Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah Not The Best': Pakistan Pace Trio Come Under Scrutiny

Pakistan trio slammed [Source: SalmanAsif2007/X.com]

Pakistan cricket is going on a downward spiral and a majority of the blame should be given to their famed pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah. All the three bowlers had exceptional debut and were touted to be the best in the business, however, their recent form and Pakistan's exit from Champions Trophy has led to widespread scrutiny of the trio.

At one point, the Pakistan trio was called the best in the world, however, those comments were recently downplayed by England all-rounder, Moeen Ali, who believes that the three bowlers are not world-class by any means.

Moeen downplays Pakistan bowling trio

Moeen, while acknowledging their talent reckoned that  Shaheen, Naseem and Haris are good bowlers, however, they are nowhere near the world-class category.

“There’s this perception, especially among people with Pakistani backgrounds, that Pakistan has the best seamers. I’m like, no. They’re good, but they’re not the best,” Moeen said during a podcast with fellow teammate, Adil Rashid.

He added, “Naseem Shah, Shaheen, and Haris Rauf are very good, don’t get me wrong. We’re not saying they’re bad, but they’re not the best either.”

The trio's poor performance led to Pakistan's CT exit

Shaheen, Haris and Naseem produced average performances and as a result, Pakistan crashed out in the group stage of the tournament. It questioned their ability to deliver in high-stake games.

While Shaheen picked up just 2 wickets in the tournament and conceded plenty of runs, Haris had similar numbers and scalped just 2 wickets. Naseem, was also average as the pacer conceded 63 runs for 2 wickets Vs New Zealand, but went wicketless against India as Pakistan got knocked out.

---

ALSO READ

Babar Azam At 3, Shaheen Afridi To Open Bowling; Worst Playing XI Of ICC Champions Trophy 2025

---