Shoaib Akhtar: “Shaheen is not fit. He is not able to bowl over 125 kph”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Iconic Pakistan seamer Shoaib Akhtar has lashed out at left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, saying he is not fit as he cannot bowl over 125 kph.
Afridi’s noticeably reduced pace has drawn widespread attention, with many attributing the decline to the back-to-back knee injuries he suffered a few years ago.
Given Afridi’s role as the leader of Pakistan’s pace attack, Akhtar admitted it is concerning to see such a significant drop in his bowling speed.
“Shaheen is not fit. He is not able to bowl over 125 kph,” the Rawalpindi Express said on ARY News as quoted by NDTV.
Afridi recently took part in Pakistan’s two-Test series against Bangladesh and claimed five wickets in one match at an average of 33.40.
He then captained the men in green in their three-match ODI series against Australia and picked up seven wickets at an average of 12.14.
Given his drop in speed and performances, Afridi was dropped from Pakistan’s Test squad for the upcoming tours of the West Indies and England.
Pakistan will play two Tests against the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago from July 25 to August 6 before travelling to England for three Tests from August 19 to September 13.
Pakistan Squad for West Indies Test Series: Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Awais Zafar, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah
Pakistan Squad for England Test series: Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Awais Zafar, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness), Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah