pcb-keeps-shaheen-afridi-in-dark

Pakistan’s T20I captain, Shaheen Afridi, has recently blamed speed guns in Australia for his reduced pace during the Test series. The left-armer shed light on the team’s challenges during the Test series in Australia. Currently in New Zealand for a five-match T20I series, Pakistan faced a whitewash in Australia, losing all three Tests.

Throughout the series, injuries plagued Pakistan, leading to difficulties in assembling a first-choice bowling attack. Notable players like Abrar Ahmed and Naseem Shah were unavailable, and concerns over Afridi’s fitness emerged, prompting discussions about potential repercussions on his pace.

Shaheen Afridi was criticized throughout the series for his slower bowling speed and lack of energy. However, he refuted those claims and put the blame on speed guns.

Source: Cricinfo

In a pre-match press conference before the first T20I against New Zealand, Afridi expressed surprise at the speed gun readings in Australia. Speed guns showed him bowling in early to mid-130s, while he used to bowl in 150s before that. This prompted suggestions from Waqar Younis about Afridi potentially taking time off to avoid transitioning into a medium-pacer.

“To be honest, when we were bowling, we were watching the board [big screen] ourselves,” Afridi said. “‘Are we really this [slow]?’ We couldn’t understand. We had been bowling since the start, putting in so much effort, yet the speeds were coming up to 132-133 [kph].

“We were surprised and were thinking ‘Has it been decided [by the broadcasters] that the speed gun won’t go above this?’”

Afridi ended the series with eight wickets from two games at an average of 41.62. Aamer Jamal, making his debut, emerged as the highest wicket-taker for Pakistan with 18 wickets from three games at 20.44.

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