Shaheen Afridi, a T20I beast only against ordinary teams: Exposing Pakistan's potent weapon

Worrying signs for Shaheen [Source: AFP Photo]

Once touted as the next Wasim Akram, Shaheen Afridi has fallen from grace, and now the Pakistan pacer finds himself in a tricky situation as he looks a pale shadow of his former self, and is yet to deliver the goods against big teams in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 marquee event.

Shaheen was set to be the next big thing as the pacer gave match-winning performances early in his career, but a career-threatening injury in 2022 ruined his journey as his pace dropped drastically, and he was never the same. However, since 2024, there has been a drastic decline in Shaheen’s numbers, and often he gets lost against big teams.

In this article, we compare his performances against the big international sides vs his numbers against the minnows to decode whether the player has actually failed against the top sides, or if it's just a myth.

Shaheen Afridi T20I record vs top 5 teams (since 2024)

T20I rankings - India (1), New Zealand (4), South Africa (5), England (3) and Australia (2)

(Shaheen in T20Is vs world's best sides)

• As the data suggests, Shaheen Afridi has struggled to scalp wickets against the top sides of the world. Against the likes of India, New Zealand, South Africa, England and Australia, Shaheen’s T20I numbers don’t look promising since 2024.
• The economy is also on the higher side (9.09) as the batters from the best teams in the world have found it easy to tackle him in the last 1.5 years. This showcases that when Shaheen counters the best of the best, he fails to deliver.

Shaheen Afridi T20I record vs bottom teams (since 2024)

T20I rankings - AFG (10), WI (6) , UAE (15), USA (17), Oman (20), Canada (19)

(Shaheen T20I stats vs bottom teams)

• Against teams that are short of quality or are not at the highest level, Shaheen takes his game to a different level, and the stats tell the story. Since 2024, he has racked up 20 wickets in 14 matches, and the economy also goes down to just 6.35.

Why Shaheen fails against the best in the business?

Knee injury: In 2022, Shaheen suffered a knee injury before the T20 World Cup, and since then, there has been a drop in his pace. Before the injury, he used to regularly operate at over 140 km/h, but after the knee issues, his speed dropped to mid-130s.

No variation in attack: Shaheen has the same pattern when he comes to bowl - just bring the ball back for an lbw. The batters have found out his tactics, and they adjust accordingly. The pacer has no variation in his attack and that makes him a predictable bowler.

This is the reason India dominated him as the batters were two steps ahead and knew what Shaheen would bowl to them.

Why he dominates the lower-ranked teams

 However, the lower-ranked teams do not play against the elite sides, and hence it takes some time for them to decode how Shaheen bowls, and by the time they figure it out, its too late.

However, the lower-ranked teams do not play against the elite sides, and hence it takes some time for them to decode how Shaheen bowls, and by the time they figure it out, it's too late. Plus, unlike the top sides, the lower-ranked teams tend to play him cautiously, due to his reputation, and they are afraid to take him on, which gives Shaheen a chance to grab wickets.

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