Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi expressed disappointment with pacer Shaheen Afridi’s bowling during Pakistan’s heavy defeat to India in the Asia Cup 2023. He said Shaheen needs to be more consistent with his line and length and can’t make excuses if he doesn’t take wickets in the first few overs.
Shahid praised fellow pacer Naseem Shah’s bowling but questioned why Shaheen did not bowl a similar probing length that created opportunities. He felt Pakistan’s bowling overall was not up to the mark in the match despite the pitch being good for bowling.
The former all-rounder also addressed the decision to bowl first after Pakistan won the toss, saying things could have been different if the bowling was proper, like the way Naseem bowled. Shahid remarked that Shaheen should have bowled in the same areas as Naseem but his line and length were not accurate.
According to Shahid, India had virtually won the match within 20-25 overs itself. However, he advised the Pakistan team to learn from their mistakes and come back stronger in the next match. His focus was on the need for the bowling unit to improve their execution of line and length consistently.
