In the ongoing test series vs Australia ,during the first innings at Optus Stadium in Perth, Pakistani bowlers produced a horrendous performance with the ball. This allowed Australians to pile up 487 runs in their first innings with a healthy run rate rate and then reduced Pakistan too 132 for the loss of 2 wickets at the end of Day 2. There were a lot of hopes from Shaheen Afridi but Shaheen Afridi couldn’t deliver when the team badly needed.
The Pakistani bowlers in the process of bowling out Australia failed to assess the conditions suitable for bowling during the first half of the Australian innings. Some fielding lapses and lackluster line and lengths from the the bowlers has now allowed the Australians to seek early advantage in the ongoing test match.
Ravi Shastri not happy with the performance of Shaheen Afridi
Former Indian coach and star commentator Ravi Shastri who has been vocal about Shaheen Afridi’s rise to glory from being a teenager to Pakistani bowling spearhead has now expressed his worries over his performances in the recent past series .
Pakistan managed to bowl Australia out for 487 and although they were much better on Day 2 of the series opener in Perth, the bowlers on the opening day cut a pretty sorry figure. Without Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, Pakistan’s pace attack lacked bite, and more importantly… pace. Not often does the world get to witness Pakistan bowling without pace, but it certainly was the case at the Optus Stadium. Out of the first 95 overs, Shaheen Afridi bowled only 25, his pace alarmingly ranging in the early 130s.
Ravi Shastri reckons the reason Pakistan attack lacked fire is the added pressure on Shaheen. His fellow pacer Khurram Shahzad could be seen struggling with fitness and bowling in the mid-120s, whereas Faheem Ashraf was no better, his average speed being a casual 127 kph. With no genuine pacer to fall back on, Shaheen is taking up too much pressure, which Shastri feels isn’t the right approach.
Speaking on the commentary Shastri said,
“I think Shaheen Afridi’s real problem is the pressure of being the spearhead of this Pakistan attack. Without much real support at the other end, when it comes to pace. When you talk of Pakistan and their fast-bowling attack, there is genuine pace all the time. And you don’t have one bowler here who is even close to 140. So that puts immense pressure even on someone like Shaheen Afridi,” said Ravi Shastri.
It seems that Ravi Shastri has clearly found out the reason for Pakistani bowlers non performance in Australia and wish that they should rectify it if they have to go on win a series or a test match in Australia.