Shaheen Afridi

Some Lesser Known Facts About Shaheen Afridi

• Shaheen Afridi is a young Pakistani fast bowler who represents Pakistan Cricket Team in international matches. The young and ferocious paceman carries the ability to bowl consistently at speeds in the high-140s (kmph).

• Shaheen grew up playing tennis ball cricket in the rocky hills of Landi Kotal, a tribal area that shares its boundaries with Afghanistan. He was born into the Zakhakhel Afridi tribe of the Pashtuns, which is reportedly the largest Afridi tribe in the Khyber Agency district located in Peshawar, Pakistan. ^[8]Business Recorder

  

• Shaheen’s interest in cricket was driven by his elder brother, Riaz, who played a test match for Pakistan in 2004. Riaz was the one who recognised Shaheen’s talent as a fast bowler and guided him through the fundamentals of fast bowling. Under his mentorship, Shaheen appeared for his first-ever selection trial that was conducted for the under-16 regional cricket team of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Shaheen, a 15-year-old kid who until then had only played tennis ball cricket, bowled with a hardball for the first time, got through the trials with ease, and was subsequently inducted into the FATA under-16 cricket team. He appeared for the trial attired in clothing and accessories that he had borrowed from his brother.

  

• His selection in the FATA team was followed by a PCB’s regional under-16 tournament call up, where Shaheen took 12 wickets and emerged as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament. His noted performances in PCB’s regional under-16 tournament opened the doors for him to play in an under-16 international cricket series against Australia.

• The tall-framed speedster kept impressing everyone with the ball during almost every domestic tournament in which he was selected to play. He ascended through the ranks to enter Pakistan National Team in 2018, merely 3 years after he was introduced to professional cricket.

• Shaheen Afridi was selected to play for the Pakistan under-19 cricket team at the age of 16 years, even before he debuted in first-class cricket.

• Shaheen Afridi’s cousin, Yasir Afridi, is a professional Pakistani Footballer who played for Pakistan national football team in the 2010 Asian Games.

  

• Interestingly, along with cricket, Shaheen also had a keen interest in football during his childhood days.

  

• In March 2021, there were media reports that Shaheen Afridi’s parents approached former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi to ask for his daughter’s, Aqsa, hand. Shahid Afridi also agreed to the same on his Twitter account, and both the families have agreed to their marriage. Reportedly, Aqsa is of the same age as Shaheen.

  

• Although Shaheen has made a name for himself in international cricket as a talented fast bowler, he was about to quit cricket a year before making his international debut in 2017. Shaheen thought of hanging his boots after he played a few bad matches for Lahore Qalander in Pakistan Super League: Season 2017, but he switched his decision. Former Pakistani fast bowler Aaqib Javed revealed this in an interview with Cricket Pakistan in 2020. He quoted,
  

  He was only 17 when he (Shaheen) first represented Qalandars. He had a few bad games initially, so he came to me and said that he doesn’t want to play cricket anymore and want to return the money Qalandars’ owners have invested on him. I told him that anyone can go for runs and that one day he will become a superstar. We rested him for a couple of games and then brought him back against Multan, where he took five wickets. It is all about believing in talent and providing them an opportunity”

  

   

• On 10 March 2024, Shaheen scored a half-century in 28 balls in a Pakistan Super League match which he celebrated with a gesture of putting his finger on his lips. He reportedly made this gesture as he was earlier criticised by Wasim Akram, a Pakistani cricket commentator and coach, about his all-round skills.