Shaheen Afridi was born on 6 April 2000 in Landi Kotal, Khyber Agency, now part of Khyber District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He comes from the Zakhakhel Afridi tribe of Pashtuns and is the youngest of seven brothers. His eldest brother, Riaz Afridi, played one Test match for Pakistan in 2004. Another cousin, Yasir Afridi, is a professional footballer representing Pakistan.
Personal Life
In March 2021, the 24-year-old engaged Ansha Afridi, the daughter of former cricketer Shahid Afridi. They married in a private ceremony on 3 February 2023. In July 2022, he was made an honorary Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police as a goodwill ambassador. In January 2023, he was also allowed to design the new kits for Lahore Qalandars for the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Cricket Career
Shaheen started his cricket journey at the Tatara Ground in Landi Kotal. His brother Riaz introduced him to hard-ball cricket at the FATA Under-16 trials 2015. Before that, he only played tennis-ball cricket. His success at the Under-16 level led to his selection for the PakPakistan’sder-16 tour of Australia in November 2015. He took four wickets, helping his team win the One-Day and Twenty20 series.
In December 2016, he played in the Under-19 Asia Cup, taking three wickets in Pakistan over Singapore. By September 2017, Shaheen had signed a two-year contract with Dhaka Dynamites in the Bangladesh Premier League and made his first-class debut for Khan Research Laboratories. He took eight wickets for 39 runs, the best figure for a Pakistani bowler on his debut.
Shaheen stood out in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, leading Pakistan’s swing attack with 12 wickets. He made his PSL debut for Lahore Qalandars in February 2018 and soon became known for taking five wickets for just four runs in a match against Multan Sultans. Shaheen Afridi’s career advanced quickly. He made his List A debut in April 2018 and was selected for the Pakistan national team the same year.
International Career
Shaheen made his T20I and ODI debuts for Pakistan in April 2018 and September 2018. By November 2018, he was also included in Pakistan’s Test squad. In the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Shaheen became the youngest bowler to take a five-wicket haul in a World Cup match, with figures of 6/35 against Bangladesh. The ICC later named him the rising star of Pakistan’s squad.
In December 2019, Shaheen took his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket against Sri Lanka. During the 2020 T20 Blast in England, he recorded the best-ever bowling figures at the Rose Bowl, taking 6/19, including a hat-trick.
International Wickets
Shaheen Afridi has played 29 Test matches, taking 113 wickets at an average of 26.72, with his best bowling figures being 6 for 51. He has also played 53 ODIs, taking 104 wickets with an average of 23.94. His best bowling figures in ODIs are 6 for 35. In T20s, he has played 70 matches, taking 96 wickets with an average of 20.40, and his best performance is 4 for 22.
Shaheen is ranked 8th in the ICC Test bowling rankings with 733 points, 7th in the ICC ODI bowling rankings with 650 points, and 15th in the ICC T20 bowling rankings with 623 points.
Captaincy and Awards
In December 2021, Shaheen Afridi became the captain of Lahore Qalandars, leading them to win the 2022 PSL, making him the youngest captain to win a T20 league. In January 2022, he was honoured as the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year after taking 78 wickets in 36 international matches.
In October 2023, Shaheen became the fastest Pakistani bowler to reach 100 wickets in ODIs, achieving this in just 51 games. In November 2023, he was appointed captain of Pakistan after Babar Azam stepped down.
However, he lost the captaincy after a 4-1 series defeat to New Zealand in T20Is. He was also part of Pakistan’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men’s World Cup, but Pakistan was knocked out in the group stage, and Shaheen took five wickets in four matches.
Shaheen Afridi was recognized with PCB’s Impactful Performance of the Year award in 2021 and was also named ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year in the same year.
