Mohammad Asif: “Shaheen has become too predictable, especially in his first over. He did have success on the new ball with his full in-swinging ball but now batsmen are ready to hit him [for] boundaries on the same ball”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan seamer Mohammad Asif believes pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi has “become too predictable” when bowling with the new ball.
He noted that this is especially the case in the first over, especially as the 24-year-old is starting to get hit for boundaries as opposition batsmen know what he is going to do.
Asif pointed out that Afridi did initially have success utilising the in-swinger, but since it has become obvious he will unleash this delivery, the national team’s bowling coach should “make him aware and help him to change”.
“Shaheen has become too predictable, especially in his first over. He did have success on the new ball with his full in-swinging ball but now batsmen are ready to hit him [for] boundaries on the same ball. The bowling coach should make him aware and help him to change,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Afridi recently represented Pakistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup and took five wickets in four matches at an average of 21 and an economy rate of 6.56.
The men in green lost their first two games against the United States of America and India before bouncing back to take down Canada and Ireland.
Despite claiming back-to-back victories, it was not enough to get them through to the Super Eights.
Pakistan Squad for 2024 T20 World Cup: Babar Azam (capt), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan (wk), Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
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