Shaheen Shah Afridi (Urdu: شاهین شاہ آفریدی, Pashto: شاهین شاہ اپریدی; born 6 April 2000) is a Pakistani professional cricketer who plays as a fast bowler for the Pakistan national cricket team. He made his international debut for Pakistan in April 2018 and his Test match debut for the team in December 2018.
In 2017, Afridi was noted as a 6-foot 6 inch 17-year-old Pakistani fast-bowling talent who can bowl 90 mph and also for his big-hitting ability. He considers himself an all-rounder and seeks to excel in bowling, batting and fielding. In August 2018, he was one of thirty-three players to be awarded a central contract for the 2018–19 season by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Early life and career
Shaheen belongs to the Zakhakhel Afridi tribe of the Pashtuns. He grew up in Landi Kotal, a town in Khyber District, Pakistan, on the border with Afghanistan. He is the youngest of seven brothers; his eldest brother, 15 years his senior, is Riaz Afridi who played a solitary Test match for Pakistan in 2004. Shaheen started his cricket career from the Tatara Ground in Landi Kotal, which is named after the nearby Tatara hills.
Riaz Afridi introduced Shaheen to hard-ball cricket at the FATA Under-16 trials in 2015, with Shaheen having played only tennis-ball cricket until then. Success at this level led Shaheen to selection for the Under-16 tour of Australia in November 2015 where he played his part with four wickets in the 2–1 victories in the One-Day and Twenty20 series.