Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Afridi is slowly getting back to speed, said the bowling coach of the team Ashley Noffke. According to the Australian mentor, the left-armed speedster dropped in speed after an injury in 2023 to the knee but of late, he shows the potential.
29-year-old Shaheen, who was dominant in the PSL earlier this year, missed back-to-back T20I series against Bangladesh, with head coach Mike Hesson citing areas he needs to improve. Afridi however recovered, after taking six-wickets in the white-ball series against the West Indies, locking his place in the upcoming tri-series in the UAE and the Asia Cup.
Post-training session in Dubai, Noffke indicated that the pace of Shaheen (which is down to an average of 134.5 kph) is coming back to form as it touched the 140s on a couple of occasions. Coming back up in speed after the injury is never very quick but he is heading in the right direction.
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It will continue to be on the revival of Shaheen Afridi that swing is back and that is one of the basic features of his early life in cricket. Although Afridi remains a known quantity as an accomplished bowler, who can academically swing it both ways, it could be possible that now his skill would be further honed to become a match-turner once again.
Afridi shall have his close eye followed as Pakistan will take on Afghanistan at Sharjah on Friday. At his peak, the left-arm pacer can play an important role in the Pakistan squad in Asia Cup, as he remains the strike spearhead of the country.
