Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi Profile
Shaheen Afridi, an immensely talented left-arm pace bowler, is one of the finest prospects in fast bowling Pakistan Cricket team. He can bowl fast, swing and seam on any playing surface with accuracy and precision. He has been also blessed with leadership qualities which he exhibited by winning successfully PSL tournaments as Lahore Qalandar Franchise Team Captain in consecutive 2022 and 2023 editions.
Born on 6th April, 2000to the “Zakha Khel Tribe” that resides in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. This area is very close to the Afghanistan border where he was brought up in a lower middle-class family in a small town known as Landi Kotal. Being the youngest of seven brothers, he also followed a career in cricket like his eldest brother Riaz Afridi. He was a first class cricketer who played domestic cricket and represented Pakistan Cricket Team in one test match. Shaheen Afridi shared the fact in his interviews that the eldest brother was real motivation and inspiration for playing cricket with real passion and flair.
Shaheen Afridi has gone through the toughest time to shine at the highest level. He feels indebted his eldest brother Riaz Afridi who helped him in cricketing skills. He shared his childhood memories that both brothers often played together, using tennis balls and cheap bats. Shaheen often accompanied his brother to his matches. Eventually, this exposure motivated him to play cricket at the highest level. His first spell with professional cricket “hard ball” started when his eldest brother Riaz Afridi introduced him to the real cricket ball at the ‘FATA Under-16’ trials in the year 2015.
In an interview, Shaheen Afridi shared various aspects of his cricketing experiences that he was academically weak and devoted most of his time to cricket. At the age of 14, he told his parents about his dreams of becoming a cricketer. Initially, he was doubtful about his family’s positive reaction. However, since he already had a brother who was trying to build a career in the same sport, his family did not object much. He was already aware of most of the challenges that could come with the sport due to eldest experiences.
After this family support, Shaheen Afridi decided to move to Peshawar and joined a cricket academy to nurture his skills at a professional level. There, he played for various clubs as a fast bowler. His tall frame and swift bowling style got him several wickets and this paved his way to enter a cricket academy in Lahore. Gradually, he also proved his ability of hitting the ball hard. Thus, he started working harder to make a name for himself in the world of cricket and to be one of world’s best all-rounders.
To acknowledge and applaud Shaheen Afridi’s talent and guts as an ace fast bowler, the foreign media rated Shaheen as the “Pakistani Mitchell Starc”.Glancing at cricketing journey , we came to know that he started his international cricketing career with the Pakistani ‘Under-19’ squad for the 2016 ‘Asia Cup’ where he produced a brilliant performance. Later, he was selected in the ‘Bangladesh Premier League’ (BPL) team ‘Dhaka Dynamites.’ In the 2018 ‘Under-19 Cricket World Cup,’ he proved his mettle and emerged as the leading wicket-taker for his team. Ultimately, he was acknowledged and distinguished at international circuit and the ICC named him “the rising star of the squad.”
At first-class cricket arena, Shaheen Shah Afridi made his first-class debut for Khan Research Laboratories in 2017, which turned to be a dream for the young bowler. He took 8 wickets in the second innings and gave away just 39 runs in his 15 overs. Performing at National Level, his PSL debut was nothing short of exemplary as he picked up 5 wickets for just 4 runs for the Lahore Calendars in a group match. Sailing in cricketing arena rapidly, he was soon called up to the squad to face West Indies in April 2018. He was also a part of the 2018 Under-19 World Cup squad where he was the best bowler for his team with 12 wickets to his name.
Subsequently, Shaeen Afridi made his ODI debut in the Asia Cup against Afghanistan in September 2018.He continued his big strides in international cricket and made his Test debut against New Zealand in December 2018. His consistent performances meant that he was always in the side. Afridi was also picked for the 2019 edition of the ICC World Cup. He had a good tournament in England as he grabbed 16 wickets but he picked up very few wickets against the world best teams.
In December 2019, during the second Test match against Sri Lanka, Shaheen Afridi took his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket. He also made a couple of appearances against Bangladesh in T20Is in January 2020 and was very economical. He was selected for Pakistan’s tour of England post the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in August 2020.
Overall as main strike-bowler, Shaheen Afiridi has represented national and international teams during his initial career including Balochistan, Hampshire, Khan Research Laboratories, Pakistan A, Middlesex, Pakistan Under-19, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Minister Group Dhaka, Lahore Qalandars, Pakistanis, Pakhtoons, Rotterdam Rhinos, Northern and Birmingham Phoenix with his invaluable contributions.
Apart from Cricketing brilliance, Shaheen Afridi has also started his life inning recently. He tied the knot with Ansha Afridi, the second eldest daughter of ‘Boom Boom’ Shahid Afridi at a Nikkah ceremony in February 2023. The couple got engaged in March 2021 earlier.The Nikah ceremony was attended by several prominent cricketers and other personalities.
At contemporary level, Shaheen Afridi has become an established bowler in international cricket Circuit. He has earned fame at national and international level in shorter span of cricketing career. In 2021, ICC conferred him prestigious award by announcing as the recipient of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year 2021. In January 2022, Afridi was named the Cricketer of the Year by the International Cricket Council.
At national level, he also won PCB’s Impactful performance of the year 2021.Shaheen Afridi is the first Pakistani who received this award. He has had a fabulous 2021 across all three formats of the game. At national level, he was made an honorary Deputy Superintendent of the Police (DSP) rank in the KPK Police as a goodwill ambassador in July 2022.
The cricketing experts at national and international level unanimously rate Shaheen Afridi as promising prospect for World cricket. The entire Pakistani cricket lovers and supporters pine high hopes from him to win laurels for Pakistan in time to come.
Frequently Asked Questions about Shaheen Shah Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi height
Blessed with a tall gangling frame, Afridi stands 1.98 meters or 6 feet 6 inches
Shaheen Shah Afridi age
The key pacer is 23 years old
Shaheen Shah Afridi engagement
Pace sensation Shaheen Shah Afridi fiancé was Ansha Afridi.
Shaheen Shah Afridi Fiance
Ansha Afridi was fiancé of Shaheen, she was the daughter cricket legend Shahid Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi Wedding
Shaheen Shah Afridi tied the knot in an intimate Nikah ceremony with Ansha Shahid in February 2023
Shaheen Shah Afridi Wife
Ansha Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi Nikah
Pakistan’s ace pacer and daughter of Shahid Afridi have their minimal nikkah which was attended by close friends and family.
Shaheen Shah Afridi Father
Ayaz Khan is father of Pakistani pacer
Shaheen Shah Afridi Brother
He has four brothers including Riaz Afridi, Shan Afridi, Akash Afridi, Sandal Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi Birthday
April 6, 2000
Shaheen Shah Afridi car
Toyota Land Cruiser, Audi A4, Audi A8 Hybrid, Honda Civic, and Toyota Revo Hilux
Shaheen Shah Afridi Bowling Speed
Shaheen bowled at the highest bowling speed of 154.2 in February 2023
Shaheen Shah Afridi Wickets
The pace sensation has 70 ODIs wickets, 64 in T20s and 99 in Test
Shaheen Shah Afridi ICC Ranking
Shaheen is ranked number ten in ODIs and number five in Tests ranking for bowlers
Shaheen Shah Afridi Batting
After raking in several accolades in bowling, Shaheen Afridi also stunned fans with his batting skills in Pakistan Super League.
Shaheen Shah Afridi Fastest Ball
154.2 mph
Shaheen Shah Afridi shirt number
Shaheen Shah Afridi shirt number is 10
Shaheen Shah Afridi twitter
You can follow Shaheen Shah Afridi on Twitter at @iShaheenAfridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi instagram
You can follow Shaheen Shah Afridi on Instagram at @iShaheenAfridi10
Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shahid Afridi Relation
Shaheen Afridi holds a very friendly relation with his father in law Shahid Afridi.
Shaheen Shah Afridi Vs Amir
Shaheen Shah Afridi Injury
Shaheen Shah Afridi suffered several injuries in his career, but the worst was the knee injury which forced him out T20 World Cup 2022
How much is Shaheen Afridi’s net worth?
Shaheen Afridi’s estimate net worth stands at $7 million in 2023
Shaheen Shah Afridi PSL career
Afridi’s PSL career started when he was picked by Lahore Qalandar in the third edition of the Pakistan super league back in 2018, and over the years he proved his mettle in the game and was made captain last year.
Shaheen Shah Afridi T20 blast
Nottinghamshire signed Shaheen Shah Afridi for their 2023 Vitality Blast campaign.
