Shaheen Afridi: After an eight-year of wait, the Champions Trophy returns, and excitement builds in Pakistan as the hosts defend their title. Pakistan announced their squad on Friday, January 31st, featuring a mix of familiar faces and some surprises.
The team’s focus will be on the bowling attack, as the batting remains unpredictable. Recent wins have relied on solid bowling performances, and Shaheen Afridi will lead the charge. His ability to perform with both the new and old ball will be key to Pakistan’s success.
However, Afridi’s role comes with challenges. As a pacer, injuries pose a constant threat, and a ligament injury in 2022 kept him out for an extended period. To manage his fitness, the PCB has limited his appearances before the Champions Trophy.
Injuries can occur at any moment, whether during training or matches, so other players must step up if Afridi gets sidelined. Here are three key players who will need to take on extra responsibility if Pakistan loses their star bowler.
Naseem Shah
The youngster has quickly made a mark in world cricket, and if Shaheen Afridi misses out, he will be under immense pressure to deliver. Naseem Shah is Pakistan’s designated opening bowler along with Shaheen Afridi, and if the left-arm seamer is unavailable, Naseem will have to take on the responsibility of finding breakthroughs in the powerplay.
He can swing and seam the ball both ways, and in just 20 ODIs, he has taken 42 wickets with an average of 20.02 and a strike rate of 23.06. Naseem Shah has picked 12 wickets in the first five overs of 20 ODI innings, whereas Shaheen Afridi has taken 29 wickets in 57 innings, making Naseem’s average and strike rate superior in that phase. Naseem will need to prove his worth once again.
In the last five overs of ODI innings, Naseem Shah has a much better bowling average of 9.8 than that of Shaheen Afridi with 13.3. However, Afridi did this job for a long time and faced many different opponents. So when Shaheen Afridi will not be available, Naseem Shah has to bowl the death overs more often than he does normally.
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Faheem Ashraf
Faheem Ashraf has been a surprise inclusion in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy 2025 squad. The seam-bowling all-rounder had last played an ODI for Pakistan during the Asia Cup 2023, but his good performances in the Bangladesh Premier League and the Champions One Day Cup have got him into the side.
Faheem has taken 20 wickets in 11 innings of the Bangladesh Premier League, taking wickets at all stages of the game. It will be key for him if Shaheen Afridi does not play since Afridi has been known for his striking with the new ball.
Faheem Ashraf also did well in bowling for Pakistan in the Champions One-Day Cup during September 2024, picking up seven wickets in four innings, which included four wickets in a single match. He dismissed Agha Salman and Iftikhar Ahmed. He has 115 wickets in 92 List A games and 26 at the international level. Faheem can also swing the long handle like Shaheen Afridi, so experience and skills would be crucial in case Shaheen is out.
Haris Rauf
The last on this list is Haris Rauf. Rauf would be the most experienced pacer and should spearhead the bowling attack. Haris is an outright wicket-taker, like Shaheen Afridi, and was a key player in Pakistan’s recent series victory in Australia, taking 10 wickets in three ODIs.
With an impressive average of 25.76 in ODIs, Rauf has taken 82 wickets in 45 matches. He is more effective at the middle overs and at death, but in case Shaheen Afridi misses out, Haris has to open up the bowling attack. Till date, Rauf has taken just 14 wickets in the first 10 overs of his ODI career, and he needs to take it to that level.
The pitches in Pakistan are expected to be flat, and Haris Rauf knows how to use his pace and variations to take wickets on such surfaces. His role will be very important in the absence of Shaheen Afridi. Haris has taken 26 wickets in 16 matches played in Pakistan. So, whatever he does in the Champions Trophy will impact the fate of his team.
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