Wasim Akram slams Shaheen Afridi’s inconsistency after Pakistan's early exit in Champions Trophy

In a recent interview, Akram highlighted Afridi's lack of variety in his bowling and stated that he has not yet mastered the art of bowling outswing

PHOTO: X

Former Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram has expressed his disappointment over Shaheen Afridi’s inconsistent performances in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

In a recent interview, Akram highlighted Afridi's lack of variety in his bowling and stated that he has not yet mastered the art of bowling outswing deliveries consistently.

"He hasn’t learned how to bowl outswing on a consistent basis. He has only two types of deliveries. Either he will bowl a yorker or keep straight. The world knows about his bowling now, and the batters are prepared to take him on. He doesn’t know how to take the ball away from the batter," Akram said.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez also criticized the national team’s pace attack, which includes Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf, following their underwhelming performance against arch-rivals India in Dubai. Hafeez pointed out that this trio has consistently struggled in major tournaments since the 2023 Asia Cup.

“The trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf failed to deliver in the 2023 Asia Cup, the 50-over World Cup, T20 World Cup, and now in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy 2025,” Hafeez said.

He further added, “It’s time to acknowledge that, despite their talent, they haven’t proven themselves capable of winning big tournaments for Pakistan. Let’s move on and give opportunities to other bowlers like Mohammad Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Akif Javed, and Mir Hamza. These players are waiting for their chances—they are also Pakistani, and they deserve an opportunity.”

On Monday, Pakistan became the first team, alongside Bangladesh, to be officially eliminated from the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, which will continue until March 9. The defending champions, who won the title in 2017 under Sarfaraz Ahmed’s leadership, started their campaign with a loss to New Zealand. They had already been beaten twice by the Kiwis in a recent tri-nation ODI series, which also involved South Africa.

Following their loss to New Zealand, Pakistan suffered a second consecutive defeat to India. Virat Kohli led India to victory with an unbeaten century (100*), successfully chasing Pakistan's total of 241 runs in Dubai.