Shaheen Shah Afridi. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
At the Optus Stadium, the second day of the series opener witnessed Pakistan’s pace attack struggling to make an impact. Bowling without the services of Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, the absence of firepower was evident as Australia posted a formidable 487 on the board. The lack of pace, a rare sight in Pakistan’s bowling arsenal, became a cause for concern at the Optus Stadium.
Shaheen Afridi, the lone ranger in the pace department, found himself shouldering the burden. Out of the initial 95 overs, Afridi bowled just 25, with his pace hovering around the early 130s – far away from the usual blistering speeds associated with Pakistan’s quicks. Former India coach Ravi Shastri weighed in on the issue, attributing the lacklustre performance to the undue pressure on Afridi.
“I think Shaheen Afridi’s real problem is the pressure of being the spearhead of this Pakistan attack. Without much real support at the other end, when it comes to pace. When you talk of Pakistan and their fast-bowling attack, there is genuine pace all the time. And you don’t have one bowler here who is even close to 140. So that puts immense pressure even on someone like Shaheen,” Shastri said while on commentary during the ongoing Perth Test.
I’m quite satisfied with the way our bowlers fought back after first session: Umar Gul
Khurram Shahzad and Faheem Ashraf struggled with fitness and bowled in the mid-120s and 127 kph, respectively, leaving Afridi with an uphill battle. Despite the tough task cut out for the Pakistan bowlers, debutant Aamer Jamal bowled brilliantly to end up with a record six-wicket haul. This meant that Australia were wrapped up within the 500-run mark thereby inspiring a Pakistan fightback. In the same vain, the bowling coach Umar Gul seemed quite satisfied with the bowlers. Besides, he named Jamal for his positive thinking which was reflected in his bowling as well as he picked the important wickets of David Warner and Travis Head, respectively.
“I am quite satisfied with the way our bowlers fought back, especially after the first session yesterday,” said Pakistan’s fast bowling coach Umar Gul.
In response, Pakistan’s openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-Ul-Haq showed resilience, forming a 74-run partnership before Nathan Lyon struck. Shafique’s dismissal for 42 marked Lyon’s march toward 500 Test wickets. Australia capitalized on late breakthroughs, restricting Pakistan to 132/2 by the end of Day 2, trailing by 355 runs.
As the series unfolds, Pakistan face a challenge in reviving its pace attack, with Shaheen Afridi left to battle the odds as the lone paceman in the quest for redemption.