Abdur Rauf: “At his peak, he was one of the best fast bowlers, regularly clocking 145+ kph and swinging the ball beautifully”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan seamer Abdur Rauf recalled how Shaheen Shah Afridi used to bowl at 145 kph and swing the ball beautifully at his peak.
He noted that the 24-year-old was “one of the best fast bowlers” in the world as he was a constant threat.
However, Rauf feels that Afridi has lost that magic that made him so deadly with the new ball as his pace his down. Additionally, he isn’t taking wickets as regularly as he used to.
“At his peak, he was one of the best fast bowlers, regularly clocking 145+ kph and swinging the ball beautifully,” he told the Times of India.
Afridi recently featured 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.
He then played in the 2025 Champions Trophy and claimed two wickets in two games at an average of 71.
Pakistan could not make it out of the group stage in the tournament as they lost to New Zealand and India.
Their final match against Bangladesh was abandoned due to rain.
Pakistan are now playing a limited overs series against New Zealand and lost the T20I series 4-1.
In the four games he played, Afridi snapped up two wickets at an average of 66.50.
Pakistan and New Zealand will now play three ODIs, with the first match starting on March 29 in Napier.
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