Shaheen Afridi

Shaheen Shah Afridi (Urdu: شاہین شاہ آفریدی‎, Pashto: شاهین شاہ اپریدی‎; born 6 April 2000) is a Pakistani professional cricketer who plays as a fast bowler for the Pakistan national cricket team. He made his international debut for Pakistan in April 2018 and his Test match debut for the national team in December 2018.[2]

Shaheen Shah Afridi

Shaheen Afridi in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Shaheen Shah Afridi
Born	6 April 2000 Landi Kotal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Height	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)[1]
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Left-arm fast[2]
Role	Bowler
Relations	Riaz Afridi (brother) Yasir Afridi (cousin)
International information
National side	Pakistan (2018–present)
Test debut (cap 236)	3 December 2018 v New Zealand
Last Test	4 February 2021 v South Africa
ODI debut (cap 218)	21 September 2018 v Afghanistan
Last ODI	3 November 2020 v Zimbabwe
T20I debut (cap 78)	3 April 2018 v West Indies
Last T20I	22 December 2020 v New Zealand
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2017	Khan Research Laboratories
2017	Dhaka Dynamites
2018–present	Lahore Qalandars (squad no. 10)
2018	Balochistan
2019/20	Northern (squad no. 10)
2020	Hampshire (squad no. 40)
2020/21	Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI T20I T20 Matches 14 22 18 68 Runs scored 81 52 10 61 Batting average 4.76 17.33 – 5.08 100s/50s 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 Top score 14 19* 10* 14 Balls bowled 2,735 1,104 403 1,518 Wickets 43 45 22 92 Bowling average 34.04 21.64 23.77 21.16 5 wickets in innings 1 2 0 4 10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0 Best bowling 5/77 6/35 3/20 6/19 Catches/stumpings 0/– 3/– 1/– 8/–
Source: Cricinfo, 4 February 2021

In 2017, Afridi was noted as a 6-foot 6 inch 17-year-old Pakistani fast-bowling talent who can bowl 90 mph[3] and also for his big-hitting ability.[4] He considers himself an all-rounder and seeks to excel in bowling, batting and fielding.[5] In August 2018, he was one of thirty-three players to be awarded a central contract for the 2018–19 season by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).[6][7]

Early life and career

Shaheen belongs to the Zakhakhel Afridi tribe of the Pashtuns.[8] He grew up in Landi Kotal, a town in Khyber District, Pakistan, on the border with Afghanistan. He is the youngest of seven brothers; his eldest brother, 15 years his senior, is Riaz Afridi who played a solitary Test match for Pakistan in 2004.[4] Shaheen started his cricket career from the Tatara Ground in Landi Kotal, which is named after the nearby Tatara hills.[9]

Riaz Afridi introduced Shaheen to hard-ball cricket at the FATA Under-16 trials in 2015, with Shaheen having played only tennis-ball cricket until then.[5] Success at this level led Shaheen to selection for the Under-16 tour of Australia in November 2015 where he played his part with four wickets in the 2–1 victories in the One-Day and Twenty20 series.[5]

Domestic and T20 career

In December 2016, Afridi was included in the Pakistan Under-19 cricket team selected for the 2016 Under-19 Asia Cup held in Sri Lanka.[8] He took 3 wickets for 27 runs in Pakistan's nine wickets win over Singapore in their opening match of the U-19 Asia Cup.[10]

In early September 2017, Afridi signed a two-year contract with Dhaka Dynamites, a major Bangladesh Premier League franchise.[11][2][12] Later he made his first-class debut for Khan Research Laboratories in the 2017–18 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy on 26 September 2017.[13] In the second innings of the match, he took 8 wickets for 39 runs,[14] the best figures by a Pakistani bowler on first-class debut.[4][15]

In December 2017, he was named in Pakistan's squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.[16] He was the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan in the tournament, with 12 wickets.[17] Following Pakistan's matches in the tournament, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named Afridi as the rising star of the squad.[18]

He made his Twenty20 debut for Lahore Qalandars in the 2018 Pakistan Super League (PSL) on 23 February 2018.[19] The following month in the PSL, during Lahore's match with the Multan Sultans, Afridi took five wickets for four runs. Lahore won the fixture by 6 wickets and Afridi was named the player of the match.[20][21]

In April 2018, he was named in Baluchistan's squad for the 2018 Pakistan Cup.[22][23] He made his List A debut for Baluchistan on 25 April 2018.[24]

In July 2019, he was selected to play for the Rotterdam Rhinos in the inaugural edition of the Euro T20 Slam cricket tournament.[25][26] However, the following month the tournament was cancelled.[27] In December 2019, it was announced that Afridi will play for Hampshire County Cricket Club in the 2020 t20 Blast in England.[28] In September 2020, Hampshire confirmed his participation in the 2020 t20 Blast, and announced that he will be available after fulfilling his national duties.[29] On 20 September 2020, in the final round of group matches in the t20 Blast, Afridi took a hat-trick and four wickets in four balls, finishing with match figures of 6/19 from his four overs.[30] On 2 October 2020, in the 2020–21 National T20 Cup, Afridi took his second five-wicket haul in three T20 games, with figures of 5/20 from his four overs.[31] Three days later, Afridi took another five-wicket haul, with 5/21 in the match against Sindh.[32]

International career

In March 2018, he was named in Pakistan's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for their series against the West Indies.[33][34] He made his T20I debut for Pakistan against the West Indies on 3 April 2018.[35] In September 2018, he was named in Pakistan's One Day International (ODI) squad for the 2018 Asia Cup.[36][37] He made his ODI debut for Pakistan against Afghanistan on 21 September 2018.[38]

In November 2018, he was named in Pakistan's Test squad for their series against New Zealand.[39] He made his Test debut for Pakistan against New Zealand on 3 December 2018.[40]

In April 2019, he was named in Pakistan's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.[41][42] On 5 July 2019, in the match against Bangladesh, Shaheen became the youngest bowler to take a five-wicket haul in a World Cup match, finishing with figures of 6/35.[43] These were also the best bowling figures by a bowler for Pakistan in a World Cup match.[44] Following the World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named Afridi as the rising star of the squad.[45]

In December 2019, during the second Test match against Sri Lanka, Afridi took his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket.[46]

In June 2020, he was named in a 29-man squad for Pakistan's tour to England during the COVID-19 pandemic.[47][48] In July, he was shortlisted in Pakistan's 20-man squad for the Test matches against England.[49][50]

References

1. "Top 10 Tallest Cricketers Of All Time". Cricket Addictor. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
2. Abdul Ghaffar (10 September 2017). "Khyber Agency's Shaheen Shah signed by Dhaka Dynamites". Dawn. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
3. Shaheen Shah Afridi - 6 foot 6 inch 17-year-old Pakistani fast-bowling talent who bowls 90MPH on YouTube, 25 July 2017
4. Farooq, Umar (29 September 2017). "Shaheen Afridi: the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy's new sensation". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
5. "Talent Spotter: Shaheen Shah Afridi (interview, video etc)". PakPassion. 31 July 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
6. "PCB Central Contracts 2018–19". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
7. "New central contracts guarantee earnings boost for Pakistan players". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
8. "Tribal player selected for U-19 cricket team". Business Recorder. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
9. "Searching for catharsis in Tatara". The Express Tribune. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
10. "U19 Asia Cup: Pakistan begin campaign by routing Singapore". Express Tribune. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
11. Lakhani, Faizan (10 September 2017). "From Khyber Agency to Dhaka Dynamites: Talented Shaheen Shah signs two-year contract". Geo TV. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
12. "BPL team rosters: Who is playing where". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 17 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
13. "Pool B, Quaid-e-Azam Trophy at Rawalpindi, Sep 26-29 2017". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
14. "Preview: Afghanistan U19 v Pakistan U19". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
15. "Shaheen Afridi follows in some famous footsteps". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
16. "Hasan Khan to lead Pakistan Under-19s at World Cup". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
17. "ICC Under-19 World Cup, 2017/18 - Pakistan Under-19s: Batting and bowling averages". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
18. "U19CWC Report Card: Pakistan". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
19. "3rd Match (N), Pakistan Super League at Dubai, Feb 23 2018". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
20. "Shaheen Afridi's 5 for 4 ends Lahore's losing streak". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
21. "20th Match (D/N), Pakistan Super League at Dubai, Mar 9 2018 2018". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
22. "Pakistan Cup one-day tournament to begin in Faisalabad next week". Geo TV. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
23. "Pakistan Cup Cricket from 25th". The News International. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
24. "(D/N)Pakistan Cup at Faisalabad, Apr 25 2018". Retrieved 25 April 2018.
25. "Eoin Morgan to represent Dublin franchise in inaugural Euro T20 Slam". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
26. "Euro T20 Slam Player Draft completed". Cricket Europe. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
27. "Inaugural Euro T20 Slam cancelled at two weeks' notice". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
28. "Shaheen Afridi joins Hampshire for 2020 Vitality Blast season". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
29. "Shaheen Afridi confirmed to join Hampshire for rest of T20 Blast campaign". The Cricketer. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
30. "Middlesex blown away by Afridi spell". Ham & High. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
31. "Shaheen Afridi five-for gives Khyber Pakhtunkhwa first points". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
32. "Shaheen Afridi's second five-for seals dominant Khyber Pakhtunkhwa win". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
33. "Asif Ali, Talat and Shaheen Afridi picked for WI T20Is". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
34. "Afridi, Talat, Ali bring gush of youth to Pakistan". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
35. "3rd T20I, West Indies tour of Pakistan at Karachi, Apr 3 2018". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
36. "Shaheen Afridi included in Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2018". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
37. "The rapid rise of Shaheen Shah Afridi". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
38. "2nd Match, Super Four, Asia Cup at Abu Dhabi, Sep 21 2018". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
39. "Uncapped Shaheen Afridi, Saad Ali in Pakistan squad for New Zealand Tests". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
40. "3rd Test, New Zealand tour of United Arab Emirates at Abu Dhabi, Dec 3-7 2018". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
41. "Mohammad Amir left out of Pakistan's World Cup squad". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
42. "Amir left out of Pakistan's World Cup squad". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
43. "Shaheen Afridi destroys Bangladesh as Pakistan bid goodbye to World Cup". Jantaka Reporter. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
44. "Cricket World Cup: Pakistan hammer Bangladesh but New Zealand into semi-finals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
45. "CWC19 report card: Pakistan". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
46. "Shaheen Afridi and Dinesh Chandimal star on day of fluctuating fortunes". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
47. "Haider Ali the new face as Pakistan name 29-man touring party for England". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
48. "Haider Ali named in 29-player squad for England tour". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
49. "Pakistan shortlist players for England Tests". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
50. "Wahab Riaz, Sarfaraz Ahmed in 20-man Pakistan squad for England Tests". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 July 2020.

External links

• Shaheen Afridi at ESPNcricinfo
• Shaheen Shah Afridi at Pakistan Cricket Board