‘We have Haris for that’: Shaheen unfazed by drop in bowling pace

LAHORE: Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi acknowledged on Saturday a decline in his bowling speed but said the team has Haris Rauf to provide additional pace as it prepares for its next match against England.

Shaheen regularly bowled in the 140kph range earlier in his career, but his pace has now mostly dropped to the 130kph range. The decline has raised concerns among fans, with questions emerging over his ability to generate the same speed as before.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, the ODI captain played down the criticism, saying Pakistan had Haris to provide extra pace.

“We have Haris Rauf for that,” he said, referring to his bowling partner, who regularly bowls in the 140kph range.

He said that Pakistan had performed well in their previous two matches against Sri Lanka and England, emphasising the importance of maintaining consistency in the playing XI.

“We have performed well in both matches. The wickets have been very good, and we also asked the curator to prepare a good wicket here,” he said.

Shaheen urged patience in assessing players, saying they were often labelled poor performers too quickly. He defended Saim Ayub, highlighting his contributions with the ball and in the field despite his modest returns with the bat.

“Saim bowled well against England. He is also a good fielder,” Shaheen said.

Saim’s recent batting form has been a concern, with the opener managing just 15 runs across Pakistan’s two matches against Sri Lanka and England in the ODI tri-series.

Pakistan focused on winning matches

Shaheen said the team’s priority was to win matches rather than focus on the opposition’s total. If Pakistan bowled first, he said, their target would be to restrict the opposition to around 250 runs.

The captain also stressed the importance of preparing pitches that suited fast bowlers, adding that the team had been working to create conditions favourable to pace bowling.

He said making changes to the playing XI was not easy and that Pakistan had tried to maintain stability across matches.

Shaheen identified Fakhar Zaman as Pakistan’s best batter in the ODI format and underlined his importance to the side.

“Fakhar Zaman is Pakistan’s best ODI batter, and it is very important to have him in the team,” he said.

Reiterating his support for Fakhar and Saim, Shaheen said Pakistan would not drop either batter.

Shaheen backs spin options and batting depth

On Pakistan’s spin department, Shaheen described Abrar Ahmed as the team’s main spinner, saying he would be retained when conditions favoured spin bowling.

He also praised Hassan Nawaz for improving his game through domestic cricket and club matches, while acknowledging that Pakistan still had considerable work to do as a team.

Asked about the side’s batting depth, Shaheen said he was not concerned about the issue and welcomed the contributions of the spinners with the bat.

He added that Pakistan could bring in an additional batter if required, while noting that Sahibzada Farhan was in very good form.