Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf Humiliated Terribly As PSL Captain Prefers Snubbed Pakistan Pacer

Pakistan vice-captain drops huge bombshell on Shaheen, Rauf [Source: AFP]

Shaheen Afridi was once touted in the Pakistan fraternity as a better bowler than India’s Jasprit Bumrah, but in the last three years, the ODI skipper has witnessed a great downfall across formats. His speed has gone, the accuracy is missing, and the batters have found ways to attack him easily.

In the last couple of years, Shaheen’s place on the Pakistan side has come under scrutiny, as experts have warned him to either perform with the ball or face PCB’s wrath. The team management dropped him from the playing XI in the T20 World Cup 2026, and the pacer needs to step up in big games as pressure mounts on him.

Shaheen's teammate planning to retire him

Recently, on a YouTube Channel, Pakistan Test vice-captain, Saud Shakeel, played a game wherein he was given an imaginary situation: what if he were the Pakistan selector, which of the three bowlers would he play, retire, and bench?

The options were Khurram Shehzad, Shaheen Afridi, and Haris Rauf. Saud Shakeel’s answer was surprising as he made a shocking remark:

 "I will play Khurram, retire Shaheen & bench Rauf."

This was a bombshell dropped as Shakeel has played a considerable number of games with Shaheen, and both of them have been regulars in the red-ball setup. However, despite this, he chose to retire Shaheen, if he becomes the Pakistan team selector.

Moreover, he has also played alongside Haris Rauf, and while the pacer has been going through a rough patch, he still remains one of Pakistan's best white-ball bowlers. Instead, he picked Khurram Shehzad, who has been out of favour across formats.

Also Read: Shaheen Afridi And? Pakistan Players Who Can Redeem Themselves In Bangladesh ODIs

Shaheen's downfall in the last three years

Till mid 2022, Shaheen’s trajectory was going at an uphill curve as the pacer was Pakistan’s key bowler, and the nation had banked on him to deliver the goods in major ICC tournaments. However, a knee injury before the Asia Cup 2022 ruined his career as he was never the same.

While he delivered in patches for the Men in Green, the consistency was missing in his bowling. His bowling speed dropped due to the knee injury. Moreover, Shaheen was also questioned for his off-field behaviour as the bowler was repeatedly questioned for his antics.

His downfall has been a major talking point in Test cricket, as the seamer averaged 72 in 2024 and 28.60 in 2025, with the strike-rate also on the higher side.

Pakistan show trust in Shaheen despite poor T20 World Cup

Shaheen was supposed to be Pakistan’s main pacer in the T20 World Cup, and he was the leader of the bowling attack. However, his performances revealed that the left-arm seamer is out of touch.

He played five matches and scalped 8 wickets in the marquee tournament, as Pakistan management reached their breaking point and decided to drop him for the Namibia clash. In the first three matches, he only managed to scalp 3 wickets, with the economy touching 10 runs per over.

Shaheen’s spell was the difference maker in the India vs Pakistan match as the Men in Blue defeated their arch-rivals in a one-sided contest. Shaheen did manage to make a comeback with a four-fer against England, but he was back to his worst against Sri Lanka in Pakistan’s final Super 8 match.

However, despite poor outings, team selectors showed trust in him as he retained his place in the ODI side, despite other senior players getting dropped.

Also Read: PAK vs BAN, 1st ODI Toss: Shaheen Afridi Includes 4 Debutants; Asked To Bat First