Shaheen Afridi has found his rhythm back in 2026. Image Credits: AFP
Shaheen Shah Afridi has been through a range of experiences over the last few years. From his debut to his early peak, his career had ample promise. But as with most Pakistani players, Shaheen soon lost his zip and pace, and injuries didn’t help either.
That followed Pakistan’s typical man-management strategy. The pacer was soon dropped from Test squads and, more recently, from T20Is. His captaincy stint in the shortest format was also short-lived.
Amid all this, Shaheen’s form took a major hit, even after he regained full fitness. That extended to his strongest format - ODIs - too. Still, he was given added captaincy responsibility in the format.
His poor form could have continued as Pakistan prepared for the World Cup. After all, his T20I captaincy stint was marred by controversies and disagreements. Fortunately, that hasn’t been the case in ODIs, at least for now.
Shaheen Afridi regains his ODI form
Shaheen Afridi in ODIs
Shaheen Shah Afridi has 18 wickets at an average of 18.55 and a strike rate of 22.5 in nine ODI innings this year. That includes a four-wicket haul, and he’s been wicketless only once. He has conceded just 4.93 runs per over.
Shaheen started the run with wickets against Australia at home and hasn’t looked back since. He finished the rubber as the joint-leading wicket-taker, with seven scalps at 12.14 runs apiece and an economy rate of 3.86.
In the second and third ODIs, Shaheen bowled magnificent spells, taking three wickets each to restrict Australia to low scores. He was instrumental in Pakistan’s series win, leading his team from the front.
He has continued his good run in the ongoing tri-series at home, taking wickets in bunches across three games so far. Shaheen Afridi has seven wickets at an average of 19.57 and an economy rate of 5.34 in three outings. He is the second-leading wicket-taker.
This is a massive improvement on his returns last year. In 2025, Shaheen took 16 wickets at 39.18 runs apiece across 12 ODI innings, comprising a four-wicket haul. His economy rate was a high 6.25.
The left-arm pacer often conceded a lot in his spells, even when he took wickets. For instance, he dismissed two batters, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, during the Champions Trophy 2025 fixture in Dubai. But he still ended up as the game’s most expensive player, with an economy rate of 9.25.
Powerplay wickets
Shaheen Afridi in the powerplay in ODIs
Shaheen Afridi’s biggest strength as a bowler is his ability to move the new ball. Last year, he didn’t take enough powerplay wickets and often conceded too many.
Shaheen took four wickets at 63 runs apiece across 47 overs. His economy rate was 5.36, while he induced just 28.72% false shots.
This year, however, he already has seven scalps at an average of 25.71 and an economy rate of 5.14. He has generated 33.81% false shots.
Shaheen Afridi lost his pace after returning from injuries and breaks, which meant he couldn’t work on his biggest strength: moving the ball at speed. As a result, he at times hesitated to go fuller to get more movement. Then, the pitches he played on were also out-and-out flat and didn’t give enough margin for error.
“Absolutely, my speed has decreased. I think the Pakistan team needs wickets, not speed. They have kept Haris Rauf and Razzaqullah for that,” Shaheen exclaimed a couple of days back.
And he did find a way to make those inroads. The pacer reverted to bowling fuller lengths, even if he didn’t generate a high pace. That meant the ball had the best chance to move in the air.
In 2026, Shaheen has bowled around 19.52% full-length deliveries, snaring three wickets at 17.66 runs apiece. They have induced 39.02% false shots. Last year, he bowled only 7.80% full balls, which earned him a solitary wicket and fetched just 18.18% false shots.
Take his latest spell against England in Rawalpindi, for instance. Shaheen went for fuller-than-good lengths upfront and angled his deliveries across the right-hand batters, Tom Banton and Joe Root. That forced them to either drive or play square-batted shots.
Just a slight hint of movement was enough to dismiss two big batters, both in fine form. From there on, England were always behind in the first innings, even though Ben Duckett notched up a century. Shaheen did the same against Australia earlier this year.
Shaheen Afridi shaping up nicely for World Cup 2027
These are still early days, but Shaheen Afridi is slowly finding his rhythm in ODIs. He’s a rhythm bowler who, once he gets early wickets, can be very dangerous. It’s not surprising that his performances have improved across phases this year.
In that sense, Shaheen’s resurgence has come at just the right time for Pakistan. The next World Cup will be played in South Africa, where pacers will get some early movement in the powerplay. He’s Pakistan’s best bet in that sense.
In South Africa, Shaheen has been impressive for the same reason over the years. He has 19 wickets at an average of 26.10 in 10 innings here. He was the series’ leading wicket-taker when Pakistan last toured the country in 2024.
While there are other quality pacers in the ranks, Shaheen Afridi remains Pakistan’s premium bowler and needs to strike early to ease the burden on his partners. Pakistan’s attack looks a lot more threatening when he’s in form. Then there’s his left-arm angle, creating a different dimension with the new ball.
Teams with better bowling attacks will likely thrive in South African conditions. In Pakistan’s case, the bowlers will often need to do heavy lifting. That’s how their success has come in the format historically.
Shaheen Afridi has an added responsibility of leading Pakistan, and he’s managed both reasonably well so far. Still, they have a few concerns ahead of the 2027 World Cup, including finding suitable backups. Some of those issues, at least in the bowling department, will be solved if he retains his personal form and keeps firing.
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