Bazid Khan: “If Shaheen Shah Afridi is not [performing] then who else do we have? There is no new bowler emerging from Tests or ODIs”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan batsman Bazid Khan has admitted that he doesn’t see anyone who can replace left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi in the national team right now.
Afridi has struggled when it comes to taking wickets consistently, which has been a big problem for the men in green as he is their pace spearhead.
During the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, the 25-year-old only managed to take two wickets in four games at an average of 66.50 and an economy rate of 10.23.
“If Shaheen Shah Afridi is not [performing] then who else do we have? There is no new bowler emerging from Tests or ODIs,” Bazid was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
After a subpar performance against the Black Caps, Afridi turned things around in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he captained the Lahore Qalandars to the title.
He played an instrumental role in the Qalandars’ successful season as he was the highest wicket-taker in PSL 10 with 19 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 16.42 and an economy rate of 7.76.
Following PSL 10, Pakistan took on Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series, but Afridi was not picked in the team.
The men in green ended up triumphing 3-0.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper) and Saim Ayub