Shaheen Shah Afridi’s eyes light up. “That one is honestly a special ball,” says the most thrilling fast bowler of the 2021 T20 World Cup. Shaheen is recounting the moment he dismantled KL Rahul’s stumps to set up Pakistan’s victory against India.
The story behind the ball encapsulates how this Pakistan side are blending the best from different generations. Before his second over against India, Shaheen consulted Shoaib Malik – who made his international debut before Shaheen was even born – about what he should do.
“I asked Shoaib, can I bowl fuller? He said to me ‘Shaheen, don’t bowl fuller, just try to bowl length here, yeah?’ So I said, yeah not too much swing first over, so let me try to bowl the ball.
“Shoaib is playing for 22 years for Pakistan. He’s played a lot of cricket – he knows everything because every conditions, he played in. And he is playing for Pakistan so many years. He has experience and so that’s why I asked him which ball shall I bowl to Rahul.”
After he wheeled away to celebrate the mess he had made of Rahul’s stumps, Shaheen turned to Shoaib and said: “Thank you. It’s not my wicket, it’s your wicket.”
‘The whole crowd was cheering Afridi, Afridi’
Shaheen had already snared Rahul’s opening partner, Rohit Sharma, with a delivery that was just as memorable. When Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl at a raucous Dubai, Shaheen was immediately entrusted with the new ball.
“I was really excited because the whole crowd is cheering Afridi, Afridi. I love that honestly, because of India Pakistan game and [a] full, packed ground. The way the crowd was saying Afridi Afridi when I started my run-up… I feel really good, energetic and then the pace comes automatically.”
When Rahul hit a single from the third ball, Rohit took guard to face his first delivery. Rohit is a titan of the white-ball game, but has a scintilla of weakness: the ball curved back into him from left-armers bowling over the wicket. Indeed, Pakistan’s pre-match analysis had identified Rohit as susceptible to an early yorker.
“We all know Rohit Sharma is such a dangerous player,” Shaheen says. “In my mind, I keep bowling yorkers and maybe he’s troubled.
“When Rahul got the single and Rohit came on strike, my mind straightaway said I can bowl this yorker. Maybe he misses. If there’s a little bit of swing I can get him.” With a rapid delivery from over-the-wicket that curved back into Rohit, Shaheen only needed one ball.
These two wickets vindicated Pakistan’s aggression. Though left-arm spinner Imad Wasim had been given the first over in their warm-up matches, Shaheen bowled the first over against India, as he has done in all five of Pakistan’s World Cup matches, ensuring that he could maximise every iota of swing.
“You can swing only for one or two overs then you can’t swing the white ball,” Shaheen explains. “That’s why I come and bowl first over because if you take a little bit of swing, a little bit of seam, you can easily take batsmen out.” No bowler in the world is so adept at dismissing the world’s best batsmen with the new ball: Shaheen takes a wicket every 19 balls in the Powerplay throughout his career.
An adeptness for the yorker honed with the ‘tape ball’
Fast bowling runs in Shaheen’s family. Growing up in Landi Kotal, a town near Afghanistan – and profoundly affected by the tumult across the border – he was the youngest of seven brothers. The oldest, Riaz – born 15 years before Shaheen – played a solitary Test for Pakistan in 2004.
“My brother is our hero. So he was playing and then he said to my father, Shaheen can play cricket as well. We seven brothers are all playing cricket and they’re all supporting me.”
Much of Shaheen’s childhood was spent at the local football ground. “I played all sports,” he recalls. His three favourites were football, volleyball and cricket.
Like so many renowned Pakstani fast bowlers, Shaheen grew up playing with a tape-ball – a tennis ball wrapped in electrical tape. The ball is lighter than a cricket ball, so travels faster, making the yorker particularly venomous. “Every Pakistan bowler loves bowling yorkers.”
Yet, for all his palpable gifts, Shaheen needed some familial support to get his chance. In one tape-ball school match their teacher said only one brother could play, he recalls.
The next youngest of the Afridi brothers – two years older than Shaheen – was quicker than Shaheen at the time. But Shaheen begged his brother not to go to school.
Soon after at the age of 15, in 2015, Shaheen first bowled with a hard ball. As with many Pakistani fast bowlers before him, Shaheen found the transfer from tape-ball to cricket ball simple.
“My brother said to me ‘Shaheen go to trials for Peshawar under-16s.’ I said, brother ‘how can I hope they pick me?’ ‘He said you can go’.” All Shaheen needed was two balls in the nets before Peshawar’s coaches selected him in their squad.
Tall, fast and able to swing it: The model of a modern fast bowler
Some talent whispers; Shaheen’s shouts. If you were to devise a prototype for a modern fast bowler, it would be hard to better Shaheen. He can bowl at 90mph. He is 6ft 6in. The late snap of his wrist produces alluring late swing. And is he a left-armer to boot.
Travelling to Peshawar, where he would often stay for weekends of cricket, Shaheen showed how easily his skills transferred from the tape-ball to the hard ball. Within 18 months of starting to bowl with a hard ball, Shaheen was selected for Pakistan U19s.
Aged 17, in 2018, Shaheen made his debut in the Pakistan Super League, playing for Lahore Qalandars. Although the tournament was played in the UAE, rather than Pakistan, Shaheen was initially overwhelmed by playing in front of boisterous crowds. “I saw the people. Oh my God, what’s going on now? How can I bowl in front of them?”
Over his first three PSL games, Shaheen leaked 0-86 from eight overs. But in his fourth game, Shaheen revealed his gifts, taking a remarkable haul of five wickets for four runs. After three more PSL games, Pakistan handed Shaheen his international debut, three days before he turned 18.
The PSL meant that Shaheen had some sense of the heightened pressures that international cricket would bring. “It was good before my international debut so I was used to it”. His first cap, in a T20 against the West Indies, came in Karachi, where Shaheen’s brother had won his lone cap. “We debuted at the same ground – it was a great feeling.” By the time 2018 was out, Shaheen had already played in Test and one-day international cricket, and was on the way to becoming a three-format star.
‘Shahid Afridi is my hero… I wanted to wear his No 10 shirt for Pakistan’
Shaheen just missed out on playing with his hero, another Afridi – Shahid – for Pakistan. Shaheen’s starship celebration after he takes a wicket imitates his hero; he has even copied Shahid’s shirt number.
“I have the number 10 because of Shahid Afridi, because he’s my hero,” Shaheen explains. “I requested to the PCB I want the number 10 shirt if possible.
“It’s an honour for me to wear this shirt. Every time in the ground, the people were chanting Afridi, Afridi. And now people chant Afridi, Afridi for me. So it’s a great feeling.”
Shaheen’s connection with Shahid goes beyond the shirt number: he is now engaged to Shahid’s daughter, Aqsa. A little awkwardly, Shaheen dismissed Shahid in a PSL match shortly before Shahid retired.
During the World Cup, Shaheen has regularly talked to his future father-in-law about the game. “Shahid Afridi called me before the India game and he said just enjoy your cricket the way you play, go and focus on whatever you’re doing.”
At 21, Shaheen is already well established as Pakistan’s attack leader in all three formats. He is shaping up as a worthy addition to the rich lineage of great Pakistani fast bowlers.
“Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar – so many names. It was great for Pakistan and Pakistan’s history they produce one of the greatest fast bowlers. So you can see everywhere, Pakistan fast bowlers,” Shaheen laughs.
Even with a terrific record in all three formats – he averages under 27 in all three international formats – Shaheen is still tweaking his game. “I’m trying to get myself fitter – I want to be stronger.” He is working on developing a knuckleball and different cutters, variations that he hopes to unveil at next year’s T20 World Cup.
All this is for the future. Now, there is a World Cup to win. Pakistan – and Shaheen’s father – expect nothing less.
“Every time my father says to me ‘Shaheen take four, five wickets’,” Shaheen says. “He called me before the India match and he said, son, go play your best cricket. I said, Inshallah I will try my best. He said, ‘it’s time to become a hero because it’s against India’ and Pakistan have never won a World Cup match [against India]. So it was really good because my family wants me to perform.”
Even while largely confined to his hotel room in Dubai, Shaheen has observed the excitement that Pakistan’s run is causing back home. “There’s been a lot of praise, a lot of messages and support. Every Pakistani is so happy with the team’s performances. The Pakistani people love cricket and the way the team is playing.
“We just think simply play our best cricket the way we playing. Everyone in Pakistan thinks the trophy is coming home.”
Even if it does, Shaheen’s ambitions will not be sated. “I have small goals but big dreams. I want to win the World Cup – not only one, but two or three World Cups.”