Follow UsPakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi is just 25, and it seems he has already played for more than a decade because of the amount of discussion people have had about his bowling style and pace. But since the ODI World Cup in 2023, he has had a dip in form and a dip in pace as well.
As a result of it, his performances have suffered across formats. The fall has not been prominent in T20Is with only his economy rate going up, but in ODIs, his average from the ODI World Cup 2023 to now has increased from 24 to 29. In Tests, the story is even more telling as he has averaged 49 and struck at 85 in seven innings.
If from November 2023 to August 2025 was the story of his struggle, Pakistan’s bowling coach Ashley Noffke feels that the left-arm pacer has made his recovery and is now continuously clocking the 140kmph range.
“In terms of pace, he is aware it has dropped, and he has experienced a dip in form. Recovering pace takes time, but we’re building nicely now,” ICC’s website quoted Noffke as saying.
The bowling coach was speaking ahead of Pakistan’s Tri-Series involvement with Afghanistan and UAE just before the Asia Cup 2025, and informed how Shaheen’s recovery is in progress.
“We’ve started seeing more balls in the 140km/h range during the West Indies series. He’s definitely on his way back and his confidence is growing,” he said.
“There’s a bit of technique, mindset and a good release point involved, all of which are crucial for bowlers presenting their best,” added the former Australia seamer.
How dangerous Shaheen can be to right-handers. Indian fans are quite aware as he was the reason that India’s World Cup streak of not losing to Pakistan was eventually broken in 2021. Noffke built on that, saying that Shaheen is getting his lethal self back.
“We want him to consistently challenge the stumps. We’ve seen how dangerous he is when the ball swings into the right-hander, and he’s been working heavily on that lately,” said the 48-year-old.
For the uninitiated, Shaheen has taken 230 wickets of right-handed batters as opposed to just 79 left-handed ones in his 224-game-old T20 career.