‘He has only two types of deliveries’ – Former Pakistan legend slams Shaheen Shah Afridi’s for his poor performance with the ball

Former Pakistan pace legend Wasim Akram has slammed Shaheen Shah Afridi for his poor bowling in the Champions Trophy. The 24-year-old bowled eight overs versus India and picked two wickets while conceding 74 runs. Afridi went wicketless in the first match of the tournament against New Zealand to raise worries about his form. 

Wasim Akram, as quoted by Cricket Pakistan, said, “He hasn’t learned how to bowl outswing on a consistent basis. He has only two types of deliveries. Either he will bowl a yorker or keep straight. The world knows about his bowling now, and the batters are prepared to take him on.”  

The former Pakistan skipper also said, “He doesn’t know how to take the ball away from the batter. The trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf failed to deliver in the 2023 Asia Cup, the 50-over World Cup, the T20 World Cup, and now in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy 2025." 

The veteran pace legend also said, “It’s time to acknowledge that, despite their talent, they haven’t proven themselves capable of winning big tournaments for Pakistan. Let’s move on and give opportunities to other bowlers like Mohammad Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Akif Javed, and Mir Hamza. These players are waiting for their chances—they are also Pakistani, and they deserve an opportunity."

Mohammad Hafeez calls for overhaul of pace bowling unit 

Yet another former Pakistani skipper has called for an overhaul of the Pakistani bowling unit. Mohammad Hafeez, who was speaking on a post-game show on PTV, said, “2023 mein Asia Cup shuru hua, hamari expectation thi ki ye trio—Shaheen, Naseem, aur Haris—ye ready hai ki hume bade events jitwa ke de, failure. 2023 50-over World Cup, failure. 2022 T20 tournament in Melbourne, failure. Ye wala ICC Champions Trophy, failure."

Hafeez also said, “Let’s move on from them. Let’s bring other people. Let’s go with Mohammad Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Akif Javed, Mir Hamza. These guys are waiting for their chances. Inko khila k dekh lete hai. They are also Pakistani; they also have a Pakistani passport."

While speaking about the Pakistani batting unit, Hafeez said, “Similarly, Babar Azam. Pakistan ke liye sabse acha player kaha jaata hai. Maine maan liya. Vo Inzamam-ul-Haq nahi hai. Inzamam bhai used to win matches in all difficult conditions. Babar Azam has not won a match against India till date. He has been playing cricket for 10 years.”