Salman Ali Agha: “He (Shaheen) has been outstanding since he came back. He has been bowling well for so many years. He is an asset and a match-winner, and he is showing that every now and then”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha has called left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi a “match-winner” as he has been bowling outstandingly well.
Afridi, who was recently appointed as Pakistan’s ODI skipper, was in phenomenal form during the 2025 Asia Cup as he took 10 wickets in seven matches at an average of 16.40 and an economy rate of 6.60.
He also scored 83 runs at an average of 41.50 and a strike-rate of 176.59.
“He (Shaheen) has been outstanding since he came back. He has been bowling well for so many years. He is an asset and a match-winner, and he is showing that every now and then,” Salman was quoted as saying by A Sports.
After the Asia Cup, both Salman and Afridi featured in Pakistan’s two-Test series against South Africa, with the former scoring 170 runs, which included a top score of 93, at an average of 42.50.
As for Afridi, he snapped up five wickets at an average of 28.60.
With the Test series ending as a 1-1 draw, Pakistan and South Africa then played three T20Is, with the men in green clinching a 2-1 win.
Salman scored 35 runs in three games at an average of 17.50 and a strike-rate of 106.06.
As for Afridi, he finished with four wickets in two matches at an average of 17.75 and an economy rate of 8.87.
Pakistan and South Africa will now be involved in a three-match ODI series from November 4 to 8.
After that, Pakistan will face Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series between November 11 and 15, before joining Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in a T20I tri-series from November 17 to 29.
Pakistan squad for South Africa ODI Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha
Pakistan squad for Sri Lanka ODI Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha
Pakistan squad for Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe T20I Tri-Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq
Reserves: Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem