Sanjay Manjrekar: “Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi have seen better days”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has called out the Pakistan pace duo of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah for their subpar performances as of late.
Both bowlers are the leaders of the pace attack, but have struggled to take wickets consistently.
During the 2025 Champions Trophy, Afridi and Naseem took two wickets in two games at an average of 71 and 50 respectively.
Afridi was then involved in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand and claimed two wickets in four matches at an average of 66.50.
Naseem, on the other hand, was not selected.
As for the three-match ODI series that followed, Afridi wasn’t included in the squad, while Naseem finished with three wickets in three games at an average of 38.
“Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi have seen better days,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Afridi is now captaining the Lahore Qalandars in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL), while Naseem is representing Islamabad United.
In nine matches, Afridi has picked up nine wickets at an average of 24.33 and an economy rate of 8.11.
As for Naseem, he has claimed eight wickets in seven games at an average of 25.75 and an economy rate of 7.62.
PSL 10 started on April 11 and will end on May 18.
Lahore Qalandars Squad for PSL 10:
- Platinum: Daryl Mitchell, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain)
- Diamond: Haris Rauf, Kusal Perera, Sikandar Raza
- Gold: Abdullah Shafique, Jahandad Khan, Zaman Khan
- Silver: Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, David Wiese, Muhammad Akhlaq, Rishad Hossain
- Emerging: Mohammad Azab, Momin Qamar
- Supplementary: Muhammad Naeem, Sam Billings, Salman Ali Mirza, Tom Curran
Islamabad United Squad for PSL 10:
- Platinum: Matthew Short, Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan (captain)
- Diamond: Imad Wasim, Azam Khan, Jason Holder
- Gold: Ben Dwarshuis, Salman Irshad, Salman Ali Agha, Haider Ali
- Silver: Andries Gous, Colin Munro, Mohammad Nawaz, Rumman Raees
- Emerging: Hunain Shah, Saad Masood
- Supplementary: Riley Meredith, Rassie van der Dussen
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