Ramiz Raja: “Shaheen Afridi also needs to increase his average speed of 136 and go up by a notch or two when he bowls forward”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Ramiz Raja, the former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, wants pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi to ramp up his bowling speed.
Ramiz noted that Afridi is bowling at an average speed of 136 kph, which is too slow for a bowler of his calibre.
He thus urged the 23-year-old to increase his pace, especially considering he opens the bowling and is utilised in the death overs as well.
“Shaheen Afridi also needs to increase his average speed of 136 and go up by a notch or two when he bowls forward,” he said on his YouTube channel as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Afridi recently played in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, where he took five wickets in total as Pakistan secured a four-wicket win.
The second Test will get underway on July 24 in Colombo.
Pakistan Squad for Sri Lanka Test Series: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc & wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Muhammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood