Shaheen Afridi’s time at the 2023 World Cup has been pretty much forgettable thus far. The Pakistan pace spearhead has been expensive in their three matches and taken just four wickets. This was clearer than ever when Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli were almost targetting him in Pakistan’s seven-wicket loss to India on Saturday.
Afridi, who had arguably burst into the public reckoning in India after he dismantled the team’s batting lineup in Pakistan’s 10-wicket win in the 2021 T20 World Cup, conceded 36 runs on Saturday as India chased down a target of 192 with ease. Much of the boundaries that were hit off him was when he bowled too full and missed his yorkers, or in the case of Rohit when he bowled short. Pakistan bowling great Waqar Younis said that discipline is a major missing link in Afridi’s bowling and wondered if he is fully fit.
“I don’t know if there is a problem with his fitness. The missing link in his bowling is discipline and he is over trying to get wickets,” Waqar was quoted as saying by AFP. “When you do the same thing again and again, like Shaheen is bowling to get his yorker going, then batsmen know that and they are ready for it.”
‘Bumrah constantly creating pressure’
Waqar pointed out that India’s lead fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, on the other hand, created pressure by sticking to a line with the top of the off stump. Bumrah took two wickets and conceded just 19 runs in seven overs. While Afridi ended with an economy of 6.00, Bumrah went at just 2.71. One of his two wickets was that of Mohammad Rizwan, who had scored a half-century and a century in Pakistan’s previous two games. While Afridi got the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, the damage was done by the time he got the former.
“Bumrah is creating pressure and his line is top of the off stump. He bowled so well against Pakistan and created pressure to get wickets,” said Waqar. Waqar believes that the absence of regular new-ball partner Naseem Shah – ruled out of the World Cup with a shoulder injury – may have had a detrimental effect on Shaheen’s performances so far.
“Naseem is a good bowler and doesn’t give many runs away,” said Waqar of the 20-year-old. “When Naseem creates pressure, batsmen take chances with other bowlers and they get wickets.”
However, he also said that Pakistan’s bowling was “lacking discipline” at the World Cup and this cannot be pinned down to the absence of one bowler. “I don’t think it’s because of missing just one bowler, but it’s because they are not keeping it simple,” he said.
