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As Pakistan begin their Super 8s campaign on Saturday against New Zealand, a question is getting louder back home. There has been plenty of debate around Babar Azam’s spot in the XI, particularly when Fakhar Zaman has been warming the bench. But following the defeat to India, star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi’s place has come under the scanner.
There is some merit to it. Like Mitchell Starc, Afridi is known for his ability to land early blows on opponents’ top order. When there is movement on air and off the pitch, the tall left-arm seamer isn’t the one that batsmen prefer to face straight up. Off his first over, Afridi has accounted for 62 wickets in all T20s, which should make him amongst the first names on the team sheet. But at this T20 World Cup, where Pakistan have realigned their bowling strategy to have the spinners call the shots, there are doubts over whether Afridi is complementing the attack.
“There is no compulsion that Shaheen has to bowl two overs every game. When he isn’t giving breakthroughs, why not bring Faheem (Ashraf),” former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said on a YouTube show.
Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi, enter, reacts after bowling a delivery during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Netherlands and Pakistan in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
In three matches that he had played, Afridi had figures of 3-0-28-1 vs Netherlands, 4-0-42-1 vs USA, 2-0-31-1 vs India, before being dropped for the last group match against Namibia, where Salman Mirza took his spot. The reasons for Afridi’s struggle are multi-fold. Out of the three matches he played, only one happened to be a night fixture, which meant there was very little swing on offer. The new ball seldom swings in Sri Lanka. It is why teams have preferred to operate with the spinners in the powerplay this T20 World Cup and have relied on pacers who have been able to bring in other skills at play.
Afridi, as seen in the game against India where he bowled just one over at the start, rarely showed the ability to bowl to the plan. With off-spinner Salman Agha operating from the other end, Afridi had one job – to keep Ishan Kishan quiet. Instead, having found no seam movement on offer, he chose to rely on pace, which Ishan preferred. And not just against India, even against the Dutch in the opening match and against USA, Afridi was guilty of not using the variations like the cutters and slower ball.
The senior Afridi, who also happens to be his father-in-law, recently offered a sound word of advice which Shaheen could rely on. “Be it bowling first or second, his performance up top is very important. He needs to give the start. He has to start believing and working towards providing early breakthroughs. Sometimes, the ball may not swing, so it is important to identify the right spots to bowl at. He needs to keep in mind that if he can deliver dot balls, then it can create pressure and it will lead to wickets. He has to remember swing won’t be his asset everywhere,” Shahid Afridi had said.
Sans seam movement, whenever Afridi has tried to go full, he has invariably landed on the hitting arcs of the batsmen. And when he tried to course correct, he ended up bowling short on pitches that give batsmen enough time to pick their spots. That Afridi has not fallen back on Plan B or other options may not have been lost on the team management. Perhaps that’s what prompted Pakistan to look at left-armer Salman Mirza ahead of Naseem Shah for the must-win match against Namibia. The 32-year-old isn’t the typical mercurial Pakistan seamer. Having come through the domestic grind, which included playing first-class cricket in Zimbabwe, Mirza is more rounded.
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Pakistan’s Babar Azam, right, and teammate Shaheen Shah Afridi celebrate after taking a co-ordinated catch to dismiss Netherlands’ Michael Levitt during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Netherlands and Pakistan in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
While they have managed to qualify for the Super 8s comfortably, Pakistan need to crack their bowling code. Apart from co-hosts Sri Lanka, their two other opponents in the round – New Zealand and England – played their group fixtures in India and would need to adjust to conditions. Pakistan have the edge there, and would hope they get their combination right and players are given the role clarity.
For a team that is already carrying the baggage of Babar, they have been including players merely on reputation rather than on their form. Ahead of the Super 8s, Shahid Afridi had a message for Pakistan’s think-tank. “If it were up to me, I would drop Shaheen, Babar and Shadab. Play the new, young ones and give them confidence. These people are playing and there are expectations on them, but when they are not living up to it, why not play the youngsters?”
Against Namibia, they leaned towards backing the newcomers and came up with the most complete performance. Perhaps, there lies the cue.
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