Asia Cup 2023 | PAK vs IND - Shaheen Afridi's Bowling Analysis

image-lm3t2xjbShaheen Afridi picked up 4 important wickets against India (Source: AP Photos)

The most awaited match between India and Pakistan ended in a rain-affected encounter. The match ended with India getting bowled out for 266 in 48.5 overs with no second innings played. We saw a great display of pace bowling by the Pakistan pacemen, especially from Shaheen Afridi who was the best bowler on that day. 

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The young left-arm seamer is currently the highest wicket-taker so far with 6 wickets from his 2 games. Afridi is one of the top 10 bowlers in ODI’s and has a great record in One-day cricket with 82 wickets from 41 matches at an average of 22.39. Afridi has not only impressed with his pace but also his ability to swing the ball both ways at a consistent line and length. The extra pace and bounce that he is able to generate makes him a much more threatening bowler to face.


Striking Gold with Afridi's Pitch Map Strategy

image-lm3n1e40Afridi's Wickets Final Contact Points

Shaheen Afridi is trusted by his skipper to make breakthroughs with the new ball. His pitch map doesn’t only display an aggressive line and length but also a lot of good tactical bowling as well. This explains his figures of 4/35 in his 10 overs at an economy of just 3.5 per over. He was lethal against the right-handers where he looked to bowl just outside off stump or middle and off stump on a good length. 

This approach resulted in crucial wickets, including Rohit Sharma, surprised by the in-swing, and Hardik, deceived by a slower delivery, caught at cover. Most of his deliveries against right-handers were slightly fuller or on a good length. There were also a few deliveries which he bowled just short of good length that also fetched him a wicket of Virat Kohli which stuck into the wicket and shaped in a bit. 

His approach against the left-handers was similar as well where he was not afraid to pitch the ball up and got the prize wicket of Jadeja luring him into chasing a ball outside off stump. Through this map, it is also evident that Afridi had not bowled a short ball in the whole innings. This indicates his clever strategy where he knew that on a sluggish and slower pitch it was much better to pitch the ball up and trap the batsman on a driving length. His excellent control of his line and length made it tougher for the Indian batsmen to score runs consistently as well.


Conclusion

With consistent performances like this Shaheen Afridi is currently the best pacer for Pakistan right now. He is one of the rare pacers who has the whole package of express pace and swing. These qualities make him dangerous for any batsman to face in either red-ball or white-ball cricket. Being only 23 years old he still has a lot of cricket left in him and seems to be a long term prospect for his side.

Seeing him already dominating the top teams in international cricket at a young age it will be exciting to see him perform with the same consistency in the World Cup which is only a month away. With him improving every year as a player indicates a really bright future for him in the years to come.