Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi: “I bowl between 135-137 kph in the first over. But people notice it now and think my pace is down. But I’ve never felt my pace is down in a way that it is stopping me getting wickets”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan left-arm speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi said he has been bowling between 135 and 137 kph in the first over of matches.
Many people have pointed out that Afridi’s pace used to be much higher in the past, especially prior to the back-to-back knee injuries he suffered in 2022.
Since then, questions have been raised about whether the 24-year-old can bowl as fast as he used to.
However, Afridi made it clear that he has never once thought his “pace is down in a way that it is stopping me getting wickets”.
“People take a lot of interest in my speeds. But aside from the 2021 T20 World Cup, if you look at my bowling, I bowl between 135-137 kph in the first over. But people notice it now and think my pace is down. But I’ve never felt my pace is down in a way that it is stopping me getting wickets. The body is a bit like a machine and can break down. Sometimes you get fatigued and you can’t show it because you have to do what the team requires of you,” he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Afridi was recently in action in Pakistan’s ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, and took six wickets in three matches at an average of 33.16.
After that, he featured in the 2025 Champions Trophy and claimed two wickets in two games at an average of 71.
Pakistan lost to New Zealand and India in the tournament, which resulted in them getting eliminated in the group stage.
Their final match against Bangladesh was abandoned due to rain.
Next up for the men in green will be a white-ball tour of New Zealand, where they will play five T20Is and three ODIs from March 16 to April 5.
Pakistan Squad for T20I Series against New Zealand: Hasan Nawaz, Omair Yousuf, Mohammad Haris, Abdul Samad, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Irfan Khan Niazi, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan, Abbas Afridi, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Khan
Pakistan Squad for ODI Series against New Zealand: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Irfan Khan Niazi, Naseem Shah, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir
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