“I believe that Shaheen Afridi’s true issue is the strain of leading this attack on Pakistan The second day of the series opener at Optus Stadium saw Pakistan pace assault unable to have much of an effect. Australia scored a strong 487 runs while bowling without the services of Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, demonstrating their lack of potency. At the Optus Stadium, the dearth of pace—a uncommon sight in Pakistan’s bowling arsenal—became problematic.
The pace department’s lone ranger, Shaheen Afridi, found himself taking the lead.
Afridi bowled just 25 overs in the first 95 overs, at a tempo that was in the early 130s, a far cry from the normal lightning-fast speeds associated with Pakistan’s quicks. Speaking up on the matter, former India coach Ravi Shastri claimed that Afridi was under too much pressure, which was the reason for the poor performance.
lacking much assistance from the other end in terms of speed. There is always a true tempo when discussing Pakistan’s fast-bowling assault. Furthermore, not a single bowler in this group is even close to 140. Thus, even for someone like Shaheen, that places a great deal of strain,” Shastri remarked while providing commentary for the current Perth Test.
I’m happy with how our bowlers responded to the first session: Umar Gul
Afridi faced an uphill battle as Khurram Shahzad and Faheem Ashraf, who bowled at 127 kph and the mid-120s, respectively, struggled with fitness. The Pakistani bowlers had a difficult assignment ahead of them, but rookie Aamer Jamal bowled excellently to finish with a record six wicket haul. This meant that Australia was defeated by 500 runs, which spurred Pakistan to a comeback. Umar Gul, the bowling coach, seems to be pretty pleased with the bowlers in the same vain. In addition, he gave Jamal his moniker because of his optimistic outlook, which showed in his bowling and in his crucial wickets of Travis Head and David Warner, respectively.
Umar Gul, Pakistan’s fast bowling coach, stated, “I am quite satisfied with the way our bowlers fought back, especially after the first session yesterday.”
In reply, Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s openers, shown tenacity by partnering for 74 runs prior to Nathan Lyon’s wicket. With Shafique out for forty-two, Lyon moved closer to 500 Test wickets. Australia took advantage of late breakthroughs to reduce Pakistan, behind by 355 runs at the conclusion of Day 2, to 132/2.
Shaheen Afridi is left to fight the odds as the lone paceman in the chase for redemption as Pakistan struggles to revive its speed attack as the series progresses.