The Champions Trophy is back after the gap of eight years and the the tournament hosts are the defending champions Pakistan. The excitement is quite high in the Asian country and after a long wait, Pakistan’s squad was announced on Friday, 31st of January.
It included some usual superstars while there are some surprises as well. As always, a lot of onus will be on Pakistan’s bowling attack as their batting is quite volatile and in recent times, there victories have come on the back of some solid bowling performances. Shaheen Afridi will lead that attack and he would be key with his ability to deliver both with the new and old ball.
However, being a pacer, there is always a fear of injury, and in the last few years, Shaheen Afridi’s progress. A freak ligament injury in 2022, kept him out of the game for quite a long time and recently PCB has tried to protect the pacer by playing him selective games before the Champions Trophy.
Injuries though can come at any point in time, during training or during matches and it is important for Pakistan that other players step up if their star bowler gets injured. So, here are three players from the current Pakistan squad who would have to take extra responsibility in Shaheen Afridi’s absence.
- Faheem Ashraf
Faheem Ashraf is a surprise addition in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy 2025 squad. The seam-bowling all-rounder last played an ODI for Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023, but some good performances in the Bangladesh Premier League and Champions One Day Cup, has provided him with new lifeline.
The Pakistan all-rounder has picked 20 wickets in 11 innings of Bangladesh Premier League so far and has got wickets at different junctures of the game. However, it is his ability to swing the new ball that would make his contribution vital if Shaheen Afridi misses out. Afridi is known to his ability to strike with the new ball and Faheem Ashraf would have to perform that role in his absence.
In September 2024, Faheem Ashraf also bowled well in Pakistan’s Champions One-Day Cup. He picked seven wickets in four innings of that tournament and got four wickets in one of the matches where he got big wickets of Agha Salman and Iftikhar Ahmed. Overall, he has 115 wickets in 92 List A games and has 26 wickets at the international level too. The cricketer can also use the long handle to great effect like Shaheen Afridi and so given his experience and skills, the player would have to step up in Shaheen’s absence.
- Haris Rauf
If Shaheen Afridi misses out, Haris Rauf would be the most experienced pacer and he would have to shoulder the responsibility of leading the bowling attack. He is a genuine wicket-taker just like Shaheen Afridi and played a big part in Pakistan’s series win in Australia recently, bagging 10 wickets in three ODIs.
Overall, Rauf has a stunning average of 25.76 in ODIs where he has picked 82 wickets in 45 matches. However, Rauf has been mostly effective in the middle overs and at the death, but if Shaheen Afridi misses out, he might have to open the bowling attack, and that is where he needs to step up as the bowler only has 14 wickets in initial 10 overs of his ODI career so far.
The wickets would be flat in Pakistan, and Haris is one bowler who knows how to use the extra pace or variations to get wickets on those pitches, so it makes his role crucial in the absence of Shaheen Afridi. In Pakistan, Haris Rauf has 26 wickets in 16 matches, and so the way he performs for Pakistan in Champions Trophy would go a long way in determining the fate of his country.
- Naseem Shah
The youngster has made rapid strides in world cricket, and if Shaheen Afridi misses out, he would have to deal with lot of pressure and deliver. He is Pakistan’s designated opening bowler alongside Shaheen Afridi and if the left-arm seamer is not there he would have to take the responsibility of finding breakthroughs in the powerplay.
He can swing and seam the ball both ways, and has 42 wickets in just 20 ODIs with an average of 20.02 and strike-rate of 23.06. In 20 ODI innings, Naseem Shah has picked 12 wickets in the initial five overs so far while Shaheen Afridi has 29 wickets in 57 innings, so the former has better average and strike-rate than his senior in that phase and he would need to prove his worth again.
In the last five overs of the ODI innings too, Naseem Shah has bowled at a better bowling average of 9.8 compared to Shaheen Afridi’s 13.3. However, Afridi has done that for a long period against variety of oppositions and if Shaheen misses out, Naseem Shah would have to bowl at the death more than he usually does.