Wasim Akram: “Shaheen Shah Afridi got back into… nick as well. He’s bowling well, his pace is back, so that’s a good sign”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Wasim Akram is glad to see fellow Pakistan left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi bowling well and consistently at high speeds once more.
A while back, many people had pointed out that Afridi’s bowling speed had fallen drastically. On top of that, the 25-year-old was struggling to provide breakthroughs, which really hurt the men in green as he is their pace spearhead.
However, having worked on his game, the newly-appointed ODI captain is now firing on all cylinders once again.
“Shaheen Shah Afridi got back into… nick as well. He’s bowling well, his pace is back, so that’s a good sign,” Wasim told Wisden Cricket.
During the 2025 Asia Cup, Afridi was Pakistan’s top wicket-taker with 10 wickets in seven games at an average of 16.40 and an economy rate of 6.60.
He then played in the two-Test series against South Africa and claimed five wickets at an average of 28.60.
As for the three T20Is that followed, Afridi finished with four wickets in two games at an average of 17.75 and an economy rate of 8.87.
The talented pace bowler was then in action in the three-match ODI series against the Proteas and picked up three wickets at an average of 38.
Next up for Pakistan will be a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka from November 11 to 15.
After that, they will join a T20I tri-series with Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe from November 17 to 29.
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