T20 World Cup 2024

‘Second spell becomes a problem’- Wasim Akram’s observation of star player could be worrying for Pakistan

After Shaheen Afridi‘s performance against India in the 20-20 World Cup 2021, he was expected to deliver a similar performance in the 2022 edition as well. However, as the match panned out, the star bowler went wicketless in the crucial encounter.

He has been struggling with injuries of late, and it was evident in his performance against India on Sunday. He was unable to generate pace on the ball and gave up 34 runs in four overs. This has raised many concerns about the star pacer’s fitness. Former captain Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, and Misbah-ul-Haq were concerned about his fitness for the remaining T20 world cup matches.

Speaking after the match against India on A Sports, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Malik, and Misbah ul Haq discussed the issue. “We know what Shaheen Afridi delivers but he wasn’t really there. I was there in New Zealand [Pakistan played a series in New Zealand just before the world cup] also and spoke to the medical panel and Babar Azam and I asked that question: You are taking him to the world cup and why isn’t he here? He should have played in New Zealand,” Younis said.

“He has just played 6 overs in the game times in warm-ups. He didn’t play before that. You can fit in nets but in a crunch game, you need match practice. It looked like he wasn’t there yet,” he added.

But today’s speeds were like 133, 134 kmph: Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik, another panellist, discussed the seriousness of Shaheen’s knee injury and how it affected her pace. “When he is fit, he bowls 145 kmph. Dealing with a 145kmph inswinger is difficult for the batsmen. But today’s speeds were like 133, 134 kmph. It’s either as Wasim Akram said it’s due to lack of match practice or he isn’t fully fit,” Malik said.

“He wasn’t running the way he used to run before the injury. There was a slight limp. If the ball wasn’t landing where he wanted, it can be considered lack of match practice but for the speed to fall down, I think its fitness issue. You are then holding yourself back a bit. Knee injury is of course a bad injury,” he added.

Misbah-ul-Haq advanced the discussion by explaining how a bowler with a knee injury is affected during a match. “I have captained bowlers who have come back from a knee injury, like Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul. The second spell becomes always a problem. You finish a spell, then stand field in the outfield. When you bowl first spell, you are fresher and come after warming up. But in second spell, it’s in the back of your mind. You don’t push yourself too much or stiffness sets in. His pace in the third and fourth over was less. Shaheen usually bowls 143-145 kmph even at the death. Shaheen is an asset for us, the knee injury is a serious issue,” he said.

“I haven’t had a knee injury but as Misbah says a knee injury leaves a mental doubt for a while in the back of mind,” Wasim Akram added.