Shaheen Shah Afridi: “Players like Naeem, Salman, and Haris Rauf – they’re all exceptionally talented. These are the future stars of Pakistan cricket”
Image courtesy of: Unsplash
Left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi has called batsman Mohammad Naeem and the pace duo of Salman Mirza and Haris Rauf the “future stars of Pakistan cricket”.
He noted that all three are “exceptionally talented” and can go on to have long and successful careers.
Afridi played alongside the trio while captaining the Lahore Qalandars in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Naeem ended the tournament with 314 runs in 12 matches, which included three fifties, at an average of 26.16 and a strike-rate of 162.69.
Mirza took nine wickets in four games at an average of 15 and an economy rate of 9.64.
As for Rauf, he was the joint second-highest wicket-taker with 17 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 25.70 and an economy rate of 10.28.
“Players like Naeem, Salman, and Haris Rauf – they’re all exceptionally talented. These are the future stars of Pakistan cricket,” Afridi was quoted as saying by PakPassion on X, formerly known as Twitter.
After PSL 10, Rauf featured in Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore and claimed one wicket in two games at an average of 59 and an economy rate of 11.80.
Pakistan then toured Bangladesh for another three-match T20I series and Mirza was the only one of the trio to take part in it.
Making his international debut, the 31-year-old picked up seven wickets in three matches at an average of 8.57 and an economy rate of 5.21.
Pakistan are now touring the West Indies for three T20Is and three ODIs.
In the T20I series, Rauf ended up with one wicket in two games at an average of 75 and an economy rate of 9.37.
The ODI series between Pakistan and the West Indies will get underway on August 9 in Trinidad.
Pakistan Squad for West Indies T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem
Pakistan Squad for West Indies ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem