Abdur Rauf: “he has lost pace – now bowling around 134-135 kph – and isn’t swinging the ball as effectively. His bowling action has also changed post-injury, affecting his ability to take early wickets with the new ball”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan pace bowler Abdur Rauf said left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi has seen his pace drop from 145 kph to around 135 kph.
Rauf attributed this to the back-to-back knee injuries Afridi suffered in 2022.
He also feels the 25-year-old isn’t swinging the ball as well as he used, which is “affecting his ability to take early wickets with the new ball”.
“After his knee injury, he has lost pace – now bowling around 134-135 kph – and isn’t swinging the ball as effectively. His bowling action has also changed post-injury, affecting his ability to take early wickets with the new ball. His strength was always his ability to move the ball in the air, which troubled top-order batsmen like Rohit Sharma. At the moment, though, he seems to be struggling,” Rauf told the Times of India.
Afridi was recently involved in Pakistan’s home series against South Africa and began by taking five wickets in two Tests at an average of 28.60.
Four wickets followed in two T20Is at an average of 17.75 and an economy rate of 8.87.
Afridi then made his debut as ODI captain and picked up three wickets in three matches at an average of 38.
After this, Pakistan faced Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series, but Afridi was only able to claim one wicket in two games at an average of 86.
He fared a lot better in the T20I tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe as he finished with four wickets in two matches at an average of 13 and an economy rate of 7.42.
Afridi was then in action for the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League (BBL), but his campaign was cut short by a knee injury.
In the four matches he played, he snapped up two wickets at an average of 76.50 and an economy rate of 11.19.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a tour of Sri Lanka, where they will play three T20Is in Dambulla from January 7 to 11.
Pakistan Squad for Sri Lanka T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmad, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq