“Shaheen Shah Afridi is not Wasim Akram, no need to overhype him”, says Ravi Shastri.

Widely recognized as one of the most formidable bowling units in international cricket, Pakistan’s current crop of bowlers has earned a formidable reputation. Spearheaded by the dynamic duo of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf as opening bowlers, along with the seasoned campaigner Hasan Ali providing valuable support, Pakistan’s prowess with the ball has been a subject of much discussion in recent times.

However, this formidable bowling attack faced a setback in the 12th game of the 2023 ODI World Cup when they came up against the dominant Indian batting lineup. Pakistan’s bowlers struggled to deliver their best, leading to a substantial defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals, India.

In reference to this performance, former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri expressed his views on Pakistan’s star pacer, Shaheen Afridi. Shastri offered a critical perspective, stating that there is no need to excessively hype up Shaheen and emphasized that he cannot be compared to legendary Pakistani bowler Wasim Akram. Shastri went further to critique the entire bowling lineup of the Pakistani team.

Shastri said (on AIR) “People tell me that Pakistan have a resounding bowling attack. Nakli baat hai ye sab (It’s not true at all). It’s not good, and you have to accept that. You don’t have Naseem Shah at the moment, neither you got a quality spin attack.”

“Shaheen Shah Afridi koi Wasim Akram nahi hai (Shaheen Shah Afridi is no Wasim Akram). I agree that he bowls with the new ball and picks up wickets but no need to give him that kind of hype. Something which is ok, you have to call it ok. No need to give them too much importance because this attack is not the best one) he added.