Former Pakistani pace bowler Waqar Younis, one of the greatest bowlers of all-time, has criticised left-arm quick Shaheen Afridi for his dramatic loss of pace in the last year, citing that the 23-year-old will end up becoming a "medium pacer" if he doesn't improve.
Younis had joined former Australian cricket Callum Ferguson and Australian TV presenter Neroli Meadows on ESPN Australia's cricket show called Around The Wicket to discuss and preview the Boxing Day Test between Australia and Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is the second Test of the series.
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In the first Test, Pakistan were utterly destroyed by the hosts as they lost the game by 360 runs, bundling out for 89 in the 4th innings of the Test.
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Waqar Younis lambasts Shaheen Afridi
While previewing the second Test, Meadows asked Younis, "So what about Shaheen Shah Afridi then? What do you want to say for him because we know he's got all the talent in the world."
Here's what Younis had to say in response:
Look, I am not really sure what's wrong with him. If he's not fit, if he's got some issues, I think he needs to go away from the game and fix that. Because, if you are just going to carry on like that, then you are gonna become a medium pacer. He used to bowl 145-150 [kmph], you know, odd days, bowled really quickly and used to swing that ball. What I am seeing right now is yeah, there's a little bit of swing there but his pace is way down. It's somewhere around 130-132 [kmph] max and that is not gonna get him wickets. I mean, if you are not gonna get wickets here (in Australia), you are not gonna get it anywhere. You know you got to really learn to bowl in the good areas, but also you got to understand that the pace is crucial. It's very, very important.
Afridi had a game to forget in the first Test as he conceded 96 runs for just one wicket in the 1st innings, going for 76 runs at the cost of one wicket in the 2nd innings. His overall economy for the Test was 3.79, which explains his struggles.
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What next for Shaheen Afridi and Pakistan?
Trailing the series 1-0, Pakistan will hope to bounce back in the second Test that begins on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with Afridi expected to once again spearhead the visitors' bowling attack.
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