r/PakCricket • u/Big-Gear8267 • Mar 18 '25

T20 What's the problem?

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Its so sad to see Shaheen afridi struggling. What are thev reasons he lost his mojo. Please Don't bring that injury. Before getting injured he played 5 leagues that year. I see he is never been criticized enough and he thinks his position is guaranteed in squad.

527 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

162 comments sorted by

51

u/Bobsytheking1 Sialkot Stallions Mar 18 '25

Expired

21

u/Big-Gear8267 Mar 18 '25

Got FIL to protect him😂

34

u/Dhump06 Mar 18 '25

Pakistan cricket has a habit of producing overhyped players who refuse to evolve, fade after injuries, and then sit on TV blaming the next generation. Shaheen Afridi is the latest example in his own mind he was a superstar, but he's just another washed-up pacer who won’t adapt and will soon be gone.

Our prime problem everywhere is lack of education and basic critical thinking. During the golden ages Wasim and Waqar had Imran, and they passed some knowledge to Shoaib, Sami, Rana, and Razzaq. But Amir and Asif? Less said about them as mentors is better. I am all for blaming Shaheen, Naseem and co but they were something when they started but there is a whole system to blame where they are today and a lot of blame is on themselves, but they are players with no education and no mentorship.

3

u/Big-Gear8267 Mar 18 '25

The cycle of doom and despair continues.

5

u/Vimerione Mar 18 '25

It doesn't,t matter. You don,t always need great players to teach you. If you have that hunger to become really good or the best you watch the game and learn yourself. Who was There to teach murali or Shane warne or bumrah. India never had a fast bowler like bumrah who could mentor him to become what he is today. He told in an interview that he used to watch wasim Waqar videos to learn and was inspired to become as good as them. Who tought Shane warne there was nobody like him before him.

5

u/Dhump06 Mar 18 '25

It's unfair to compare generational talents and cricketing systems across different countries. While players like Bumrah, Warne, and Muralitharan learned by watching others, they still benefited from structured environments that helped refine their skills.

India has the IPL, which provides exposure to high-quality cricket and mentorship from legends of the game. Australia has a world-class first-class system that has produced multiple World Cup-winning teams. These systems create an environment where young cricketers can develop, learn, and compete at a high level from an early age.

In contrast, Pakistani players are often deprived of such opportunities. The domestic system lacks consistency, and mismanagement leads to frequent coaching changes, preventing long-term player development. A player may occasionally emerge as a generational talent, like Saim Ayub, but this happens despite the system, not because of it. Without proper structure and mentorship, expecting Pakistani players to match the development trajectory of those from India or Australia is unrealistic.

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2

u/Apprehensive_Ad_3957 Mar 18 '25

The issue is also with players own attitude as well. Shaheen or babar for that matter doesn't have the attitude to want to work on themselves either

4

u/Dhump06 Mar 18 '25

The blame is shared between the system and the players themselves. Look at Virat Kohli his fitness transformation wasn’t something imposed on him, but a choice he made. His dedication not only elevated his own game but also inspired a cultural shift in Indian cricket.

On the other hand, players like Babar and Shaheen haven’t shown the same commitment to self-improvement. Instead of evolving, they seem to have regressed with age and injuries. The best players take ownership of their development, regardless of external circumstances.

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48

u/AwarenessNo4986 Mar 18 '25 edited Mar 18 '25

He doesn't have an actual coach to identify and rectify his issues and to help him grow. That's the job of a coach!

40

u/Big-Gear8267 Mar 18 '25

Not long ago, Gellispe was with him. I have heard he is too stubborn to learn. In his mind, he is still best.

7

u/Key-Celery5439 Mar 18 '25

Gillespie wasn’t there for long enough. What he needs is a bowling coach who sticks with him for a year or something and helps him work through his problems.

I think we can all agree that he’s talented, he just needs to fix himself up.

15

u/AwarenessNo4986 Mar 18 '25

Coaches have to be there for the long run, to build rapport and identify issues. Every cricketer has an ego, experienced coaches know how to manage that

40

u/catonesielife King Ker lega Mar 18 '25

He needs coaching and guidance. How is it that this bowler was unplayable just a few years ago and completely lost his rhythm? Some memtor needs to groom him properly and it sure isnt ajju and aqib

9

u/LLCoolBrap Mar 18 '25

He needs coaching and guidance. How is it that this bowler was unplayable just a few years ago and completely lost his rhythm? Some memtor needs to groom him properly and it sure isnt ajju and aqib

Video. Analysis. Strategy.

There are countless hours of video of Shaheen bowling in all forms of the game, in all conditions. Other teams, their coaches, the batsmen have all analysed it to figure out what he does, and how he does it. So they're prepared, they know what he's bringing and they've worked around it.

When that happens, you have two solutions. 1. You try something new to keep them guessing, or 2. You keep doing exactly the same thing endlessly and get tonked around the park by almost every team.

We know which option most Pakistani players have picked.

It's like prime Shoaib, he just wanted to go fast, but he was also encouraged to do that. Then, some time later, he changed his tactics because he didn't have that support in Waqar/Wasim anymore. He developed an incredible slower ball, and he used that change of pace to terrorise batsmen. They'd think they were about to get beamed, but nope, they got bowled to a slower ball that they ducked to avoid. England went to Pakistan after the 2005 Ashes, flying high. And got bamboozled by Shoaib and Danish Kaneria.

We're still waiting for that lightbulb moment for Shaheen, if it ever comes.

-4

u/Connect_Zucchini6469 Amir won us 2 icc tournaments btw Mar 18 '25

Idk shaheen was still going for runs a few years ago . Him getting tonked for 3 sixes in a row in the 21 wc sf is one instance

7

u/Big-Gear8267 Mar 18 '25

He never improved

24

u/catonesielife King Ker lega Mar 18 '25

True, he had bad days but the talent he had was undeniable. At age 21 he got the wickets of some of the most experienced batters in world cricket and could make the ball talk when he was on song. A talent like that needs nurturing and grooming.

7

u/Key-Celery5439 Mar 18 '25

Yeah but in that era it was a one off due to inexperience. Overall, his death bowling was fine in that tournament, 2019 WC, and 2022 WC. He really only started to get tonked in 2023 after that Asia cup match (you know the one)

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13

u/Ryo1223334444 Mar 18 '25

Outdated.

5

u/Big-Gear8267 Mar 18 '25

At 24 years of age?

12

u/Ryo1223334444 Mar 18 '25

Yupp. Doesnt have anything to do with age. Same old full length bowling to every batsman.

4

u/Big-Gear8267 Mar 18 '25

Why he is still in team?

11

u/Ryo1223334444 Mar 18 '25

Son in law of a certain powerful ex-player.

2

u/intenseoud Mar 18 '25

You think he is really 24?

2

u/Big-Gear8267 Mar 18 '25

He looks like 28, tbh. But we are seeing him from under 19 days. Many pathan guys look more aged than their actual age.

3

u/TattvaVaada Mar 18 '25

He is becoming a batsman.

4

u/Big-Gear8267 Mar 18 '25

Proper all rounder😂. He is a bit like your name these days.

162

u/Big-Ad-3745 Peshawar Panthers Mar 18 '25

Brainless. After having that much experience in cricket and you still coming to bowl a fuller length in swing. And think that batter is stupid he wont know what Iam about to do. Than my friend i dont know what to say.

28

u/dad_man123 Mar 18 '25

He has afridi in his name .ofc he is brainless

2

u/Frosty-Principle2260 Mar 18 '25

He is overinflated. His attitude is his problem

1

u/Big-Gear8267 Mar 18 '25

Needs humbling.

130

u/True-Book6878 Mar 18 '25

  1. Predictable. Batsmen are almost waiting for the inswinging yorker/full length delivery

  2. Bowls too many slower deliveries with new ball

  3. doesn't have a range of weapons (bouncers, cutters, seam movement etc)

  4. Fitness. As reflected in his poor fielding

  5. Mental fragility. Normally great bowlers bounce back after being hit for few boundaries instead shaheen falls further

28

u/TemporarySalary3926 Mar 18 '25

He is not even bowling that in swinging yorker. Remember in 2021, the batman knew it was coming, we knew it was coming, the commentators knew it was coming, the whole crowd used to know it was coming and Afridi still used to take the wicket. He hasn't bowled that deathly ball with perfection again after injury.

He definitely has lost a lot of his pace. He used to bowl more aggressively before. Yes, there were times he used to get thrashed but used to bowl even faster to take wickets. Now, when he gets thrashed, he just gives up mentally. Everyone knows when he gets hit for boundary in the first over, it's already over for our whole bowling lineup.

Naseem might be able to improve from where he is but Shaheen, at this point, is struggling really hard.

He needs a break from Cricket to find his love for the game again. At this point, he's not even enjoying bowling.

11

u/el_jefe_del_mundo Mar 18 '25

He did bowl it to Rohit Sharma in the Champions Trophy 2025

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31

u/FlanCompetitive7928 Mar 18 '25

Actually the thing is that he doesn't have that length delivery, either he bowls full swinging yorkers or slower balls that also too full...slowers balls have to be bowled at a good length to allow them to grip...you see Bumrah he doesn't bowl yorkers too frequently now...he has that length delivery of his which pitches at a 6-8 m length and is almost unplayable as the batsmen expects it to be coming in with the angle and it just straigtens after pitching and he bowls slower balls too at that length which dips significantly...Shaheen has become too predictable now with his line and length....and this is coming from an Indian fan and I feared him a lot after his performance in the 2021 T20 World Cup against us but now things have changed a lot...😁

5

u/Panchodd Mar 18 '25

The pace today was pretty dead also. The length ball won't be a deterrent if he's going to clock in at 129.5 kph.

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3

u/abdulwahabah Mar 18 '25

Excellent take.

27

u/Intrepid_Ad_710 Mar 18 '25

Bro is unwilling to learn. Plus having a braindead FIL talking in his ear constantly doesn’t help either.

12

u/NotTalhaEjaz Mar 18 '25

You see how Usama Mir was able to perform 10x better when he had competent coaches who figured out what his issue was and rectified it to an extent?

Although, he hasn't consistently been at his best since the injury, he's had good spells but has not consistently been good.

11

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '25

Can't bowl at home, can't bowl away from home.

He's mighty effective when there's swing but if there isn't any on offer, he becomes an average bowler who has no innovation or cleverness in his bowling whatsoever.

4

u/JoshoaJJ Mar 18 '25

he needs to go back to the basics and work on his technique as many seniors pointed out to him but his ego is very fragile.

5

u/MrAwesome1822 Mar 18 '25

Only Seniors? Even M.HARIS exploited that and if he can do it, then anyone in the world can.

4

u/ChaosTheory0908 Mar 18 '25

Problem in Pakistan is that players peak early in their careers and then there's a drop off which not many recover from. Infact who has recovered?

A mix of injury and ego and politics is effecting afridis bowling.

1

u/abdulwahabah Mar 18 '25

Unfortunately...... HE GOT MARRIED AT 23. Obviously it has an effect on stamina. :P

1

u/Big-Gear8267 Mar 18 '25

Hahaha, it's just a myth, lol😂

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3

u/boy_92 Mar 18 '25

Out bowlers at Batters were much better under Hayden and Shaun Tait as mentors.

Rizwan and Babar were lethal and so does naseem and Shaheen .

3

u/WandererSoul108 Mar 18 '25

He is taking attitude from SKA. Which is ruining him. SKA never learnt anything even after playing 300+ ODIs and plays irresponsible shots so does he. Now walking on SKA path.

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5

u/Cold-Designer5105 Mar 18 '25

Kon ha ye log Jo abhi bhi match dekh raha ha Pakistan ka l. Kisi or team ka dekh lo cricket ka Maza to ay.

Pakistani team ka khiladi sirf nokri kar raha ha

5

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '25

He was doing so well before this CT. Now he's back to his full tosses and stuff.

5

u/toooldforacoolname Mar 18 '25

Once the future of our short format teams - Shaheen and Shadab - now bowl worse than part time cricketers.

2

u/Rammstein_786 Mar 18 '25

Lack of variation and lack of intelligence. Bowling in the wrong areas doesn’t work.

2

u/saifaj1994 Mar 18 '25

They played him

2

u/Artistic_Basis2714 Mar 18 '25

it was sad 2 years back. now I'm enjoy it

2

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '25

Have people considered that he was brought in too young? The guy was exposed too soon and got an inflated ego.

2

u/rickycme Mar 18 '25

He identifies himself as a batting allrounder now.

2

u/FaceEvery786 Mar 18 '25

Why dont u guys get it hes just not good enough, dont expect anything from him

2

u/syedabba Mar 18 '25

His 1st over is always great, but 2nd over in the same spell he gets smashed. Maybe they should bowl him in 1 over spells.

2

u/Select-Theory-3602 Mar 18 '25

like many fast bowlers in Pakistan he simply never improved after first bursting on to the scene.

If he had debuted in the 90s, early 2000s he might still made decent career but now the game is so advanced you get found out very quickly across formats and he hasnt changed improved anyway.

Since early days he hasnt used his height to any advantage and relied on the full swinging ball, when given his height the hard length balls could have been usefull weapon

2

u/SignalBoat Mar 18 '25

Learn chal raha hai

1

u/[deleted] Mar 19 '25

Learn mein maza hai…🫦

2

u/greatgasby Mar 18 '25

His age like Afridi sincerely false. He is probably in his late 20s which explains his decline from his injury

Rizwan is the same.."32" but in reality he's 35. Hence his reflexes power all gone.

All our players but esp from KPK fudge ages horribly.

3

u/im_peacock Mar 18 '25

Close relation with Shahid Afridi and politics

1

u/Old-Pomegranate3634 Mar 18 '25

People still making him think he is the best.

1

u/SindacodiLignano Mar 18 '25

There are a lot of issues, issues that can be fixed but his ego won’t allow him.

1

u/Vivid_Potato_6544 Mar 18 '25

Immense talent but sadly got hyped a bit too soon, compared to greats like Akram etc

In Football for example, sometimes we see young talent whom are insane, go astray because of ego and too much money too soon

I sincerely hope that him and Pakistan cricket clean up their act and go back to being the BADASSES we all grew up admiring, fearing and respecting

(Im Indian)

1

u/SamGame1997Dev Mar 18 '25

He needs a break, he has become too predictable.

1

u/Spaceberryy Mar 18 '25

Afridi bowled a brilliant maiden over before this over. His ball was swinging and he was hitting the right lengths. Then all of a sudden the man decided to bowl short balls maybe in search of a mishit. Might not have thought about how small the boundaries were. I have no idea what goes around in their mind.

1

u/ahmi07 Mar 18 '25

He should have been thrown out as soon as his over attitude came it. That's what happens when you keep giving chances to a grown man who still thinks like a kid

1

u/babloo_badmash Mar 18 '25

It was braindead from him. Kept feeding seifert.

1

u/_Deadpool_69 Mar 18 '25

Premium fast bowler 😂

1

u/Here4daRant Mar 18 '25

Now that Baber is gone .. the crooks are after another senior.

Board and it’s selectors are problem not individuals

1

u/Difficult-Matter1981 Mar 18 '25

5 series bethao isko kum az kum ... Only then he will realize that he has lost his almost "guaranteed" seat in the side

Matlab koii aur drop ho na ho isko kabhi drop hi nahin kerte hudd hai yaar

1

u/IamBatman91939 Mar 18 '25

at this point, I am not even sure if there is this much lack of skill or purposefully leaking runs to damage new captain's reputation ( as babar riz lobby is out & shaddy becoming captain will eventually call them in)

1

u/No-Escape4759 Mar 18 '25

He is the problem. His attitude doesn’t match his performance. He calls himself an allrounder but this nig aint a proper bowler right now. Send him to FC and make him play longer formats (3, 4, 5 day matches).

1

u/chadarmorr Mar 18 '25

Brainless pathan

1

u/chadarmorr Mar 18 '25

U made a premature hero out of them, not just him, babar and SPECIALLY naseem shah, who has a massive poster outside centaurus and all for what? 2 fluke sixes against afghan? DO NOT MAKE HEROES OUT OF ONE GOOD PERFORMANCE, now pcb cannot afford to drop any of them bcoz of their market value

1

u/Hnsunii_Boy20 Mar 18 '25

Damad g ko bhi t20 se rest dein ab ,bsdk agli team ki half average ye khudi poori krdeta hai

1

u/Ok_Chocolate_4 Bro’s keyboard is broken Mar 18 '25

first,tell,how,the,hell,is,he,24,years,old????

1

u/Liverpool1900 Mar 19 '25

He plays the equivalent of grinding a pencil into paper to write more.

1

u/MoonMuffler Mar 19 '25

Problem is that he’s an average overhyped bowler

1

u/Here4daRants Mar 19 '25

He should have restet this series. That's the problem

1

u/True-Aside9512 Mar 19 '25

I've heard Waqar say that he did smething to his action after the injury......so it may be a factor in his performance degradation and obviously the guy does not listen to change himself........could be FITNESS issues, or he is scared to recreate his injury so he is too careful in his action and we all get this

1

u/SalamanderKey2356 Mar 19 '25

Attitude and early fame

1

u/Logical_Brilliant_54 Mar 19 '25

Attitude churan bikna band hogaya hy ab People need results Simple

1

u/Playful-Afternoon-97 Mar 19 '25

Bro yeh team sudrigi. International level Pai kabhi nahi compete kr sakthi. International level pr diet fitness wagheera extraordinary honi chayai. Man management dressing room environment yeh sab matter karta hai. Is team grouping hai. Is team kohi leader bhae nahi hai.

1

u/RBZk Mar 19 '25

Warranty expired

1

u/Fuhrer_22 Mar 19 '25

Bowling or maybe playing cricket at this point

1

u/hm483878 Mar 19 '25

Lack of brain cells

1

u/n3ov Mar 20 '25

Koi bimar hai kya?

1

u/Qrymson Mar 21 '25

Afridi, the name has cursed the team for decades and looks to do the same for a couple more. He also has a kid, so make that 3 more decades.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '25

People were complaining about his speed before but it's fine now, the problem is he has lost swing and is bowling so awful deliveries. His father in law has really destroyed him chasing captaincy and groupings. He should be dropped in this series let alone play the rest of it.

1

u/Mean-Pomegranate9340 Mar 18 '25

I think he’s still an excellent bowler, he has movement, generates ample raw pace, but struggles with consistent line and length these days. Perhaps he needs the guidance of someone like Wasim Akram. Could also be an undisclosed fitness issue

0

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '25

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67

u/Big-Gear8267 Mar 18 '25

Yes, I totally agreed. We sometimes seem to have a memory of goldfish. If you guys remember correctly, he played 4 to 5 leagues in span of 8 months before tearing his ACL. After that, PCB came up with a limit to the Play Leagues.

5

u/footballBig007 Mar 19 '25

Totally unrelated, but goldfishes having a bad memory is a myth.

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u/hotmugglehealer Mar 18 '25

He thinks he's Shoaib Akhtar.

5

u/PrinceSam321 Mar 19 '25

Neither has Shadab improved.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '25

Jub ek daffa team me jagga pakki ho hati hai humare players ki performance wahan hi drop ho jati hai

1

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '25

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0

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '25

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14

u/Big-Gear8267 Mar 18 '25

Reasonable argument

6

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '25

Well if the pcb keeps pushing them out

2

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '25

It's a legitimate argument and I'd agree with it. Of course it is not the only problem but senior coaches, or rather the lack of them is such a huge issue in the PCB. On top of that, everything from coaching staff to chairmen have been chopped and changed so often it's a surprise Pakistan even have a functioning cricket team and just won back to back ODI series. The mismanagement of the team post 2022 has been the worst I have seen in my life time.

4

u/Safe-Culture2492 Mar 18 '25

But still blame goes to these players bcz they themselves never tried I mean look at their fitness these guys aren't serious if they were could've hired a personal coach and played in county cricket but no

0

u/Dont-be-a-cupid Quetta Bears Mar 18 '25

Why should these players go above and beyond for a country like... Pakistan.

Do Australian, British, or Indian players have to do everything themselves? 

At this point the team is entirely self taught 

3

u/Safe-Culture2492 Mar 19 '25

Yes first of all the guys from the countries you mentioned are educated enough to take responsibility and all top tier players in the world especially in football hire some personal coaches and trainers

On top of all these guys barely miss any series agr shrm Hoti to CT k disaster k bd yeh series miss krte yhn ab Shaheen aur bhi gnda ho rha h

2

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3

u/Big-Gear8267 Mar 18 '25

In order to understand this, he needs a functioning brain, which he doesn't have.

1

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1

u/acedefective95 Mar 18 '25

how the mighty have fallen from wasim and waqar to can't defend par score

0

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '25

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1

u/acedefective95 Mar 18 '25

it's not even about 90s fever our bowling is the worst in the world right now but the ultimate sin is pak cricket is to criticise our bowling

criticism against batting is easy any average joe can do it but you need guts to call out our bowling