Shaheen Afridi

One of the tallest and arguably one of the most talented young left-arm pacer in the country, Shaheen Shah Afridi has limitless potential. Having so much variety at such a young age made Afridi quite a popular cricketer in Pakistan.

In early 2017, Afridi came into the picture with his tall stature and ability to bowl 90+ mph and also for the long handle he possesses down the order. In December 2016, he was added to the squad of Pakistan for the U19 Asia cup and scalped 3 wickets for 21 runs in his debut game against Singapore. Seeing his performances in the tournament, Dhaka Dynamites signed him for a contract of two years in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Afridi’s introduction to first-class cricket was an explosive one for Khan Research Laboratories where he picked up 8 wickets in the 2nd innings against Rawalpindi on 26th September 2017 but ended up on the losing side. Later in December 2017, Afridi was added to Pakistan’s squad for the 2018 ICC U19 Cricket World Cup. With his pace and bounce, the youngster picked up 12 wickets in the tournament and was the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan. 

Following this remarkable performance, Afridi was picked up by the PSL giants Lahore Qalandars before the 2018 edition of the PSL. His deadly form in the PSL rattled most of the clubs, his fifer against Multan Sultan was his career-best performance in the T20 format. He picked 5 for just 4 runs and was declared as the 'Man of the Match'.

Afridi got a call from the senior side just in March 2019 when he was named in the squad for their upcoming series against West Indies. He made his T20I debut against West Indies on 3rd April 2018 but had a poor start to his career though Pakistan ended up on the winning side. Afridi made his ODI debut in the 2018 Asia Cup against Afghanistan on 21st September 2018 and ended up with 3 wickets.

Afridi’s career-defining moment came after he became the youngest bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul in a World Cup game. Afridi’s figure of 6/35 was the best by a Pakistani bowler in the prestigious tournament. Following his success in the World Cup, ICC named Shaheen Shah Afridi as the 'Rising Star of the Squad.

Achieving a lot more than what his teammates have achieved in their entire career, young Shaheen Shah is one of the most promising and rising fast bowlers of this generation. Having already cemented his spot in all three formats of the Pakistan Cricket team, he would be looking to rise through the ranks of amazing fast bowlers in the ICC charts.

(As of March 2021)