Amir Identifies Reason Behind Shaheen’s Struggles

Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir believes Shaheen Shah Afridi‘s poor performance across formats for the team is mostly due to ineffective workload management.

Afridi’s recent performances for Pakistan in a number of formats have sparked criticism, particularly following the 2-0 Test series loss to Bangladesh, in which he hit speeds of around 120 kmph.

He has only taken 27 wickets in 16 innings since 2023, with a frightening average of 40.11. Due to his poor performance, the left-arm seamer was dropped from the Test team for the series against England and the West Indies.

Before suffering a catastrophic knee injury in 2022, which was aggravated when attempting to catch during the T20 World Cup final against England, Afridi emerged as a great left-arm seamer in 2018 who could move the ball both ways.

“That’s the main issue,” Amir continued.

According to Amir, who cited an interview he conducted in 2021, Afridi has suffered from inefficient workload management and is currently struggling to stay healthy and consistent due to the number of games he plays.

“To watch the video, go to Google or YouTube. I did an interview on Shaheen Afridi in 2020 or 2021 because these events occurred to me. I told the media that if you keep playing Shaheen Afridi, the moment will come for him to struggle,” Amir stated on Wisden’s The Scoop.

He will struggle with the pace, consistency, and fitness. And now you can see he’s really struggling. He is still young and should be on top, yet he is suffering. So there’s something wrong. The main focus is on workload management.

Afridi has seven wickets in four games for the Kandy Royals in the 2026 Lanka Premier League, with an economy rate of 8.93.