Shaheen Afridi's Fate Decided Before T20 World Cup Super 8s

Shaheen Afridi's future decided by Pakistan [Source: AFP]

It seems like Shaheen Afridi’s T20 career could be over, especially after the latest comments by Pakistan head coach, Mike Hesson. It has been more than three years, and Shaheen has lost his aura in this format, having last performed well in 2022. The left-arm seamer now finds himself in an unwanted territory after a string of poor performances.

For the first three matches of the T20 World Cup, the Pakistan management trusted Shaheen to deliver the goods, but their hopes got dashed after the seamer went for plenty. His pace dropped, his body language was not up to the mark, and the batters enjoyed toying with him.

As a result, for the match against Namibia, Shaheen was dropped and Salman Mirza replaced him. He showed his class with an economical spell, and the big question arose: Will Shaheen play in the Super 8 fixtures?

Mike Hesson puts an end to Shaheen Afridi's T20 World Cup journey

Heading into the big Super 8 match against New Zealand, Pakistan head coach, Mike Hesson, broke the silence on his premium pacer’s participation in the marquee game.

According to the head coach, Salman Mirza was exceptional against Namibia, and he will continue to bench Shaheen for the remainder of the T20 World Cup matches.

“We made a call that Salman Mirza was coming in for Shaheen,” Hesson said. “He bowled incredibly well. To be fair, he was probably really unlucky not to be playing the second and third games.

“His record since he started playing for Pakistan is exceptional.”

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How has Shaheen fared in T20 World Cup 2026?

In the ongoing event, he has played 3 matches, and the Pakistan pacer has scalped just 3 wickets, with an economy rate touching 11.22 runs per over.

In the ongoing event, he has played 3 matches, and the Pakistan pacer has scalped just 3 wickets, with an economy rate touching 11.22 runs per over. The left-arm seamer has lacked control over his lines and lengths, and the batters have toyed with him.

Against the Netherlands in Pakistan’s first game, Shaheen conceded 28 runs in three overs, and managed to scalp a solitary wicket. In the following match against the USA, the fast bowler was taken to the cleaners as he went for 42 runs in four overs, but got a single wicket.

He had a disastrous performance came against India. While all the other Pakistan bowlers restricted the run-flow, Shaheen helped India win the game as he bowled just 2 overs, but was hammered for 31 runs.

Why this could be Shaheen's end in T20Is

In the last few years, Shaheen has looked like a pale shadow of his former self in T20Is. While he has done well in ODIs, it is the T20 format that has troubled him. In 2023 and 2024, his economy rate was 8.72 and 8.14, respectively.

While he had a decent T20I year in 2025, the same old Shaheen was back in 2026. In five matches this year, Shaheen has taken 5 wickets, with an economy of 9.73.

While he is conceding runs for fun in T20Is, Salman Mirza, his replacement, has quietly gone from strength to strength, picking up 23 wickets in 15 games for Pakistan, with an economy of just 6.33.

Hence, it would be fair to say that Shaheen's career could be over, with Mirza replacing him permanently from now on.

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