Former Pakistan captain, Waqar Younis, did not mince words when critiquing Shaheen Afridi’s underwhelming bowling display against India during the Asia Cup Super 4 clash.

Opting to field first after winning the toss, Pakistan’s bowlers faced difficulties in making an early breakthrough. In the very first over, India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, unleashed a powerful six off Shaheen Afridi. Unfortunately, the left-arm pacer struggled to find the right line and length after that initial blow.

While his bowling partner, Naseem Shah, posed a threat, Shaheen Afridi seemed far from his usual form. He bore the brunt of Shubman Gill’s aggression, conceding three consecutive fours in his second over and enduring three more fours in the fifth over. In total, Shaheen conceded 31 runs in his first three overs.

Waqar Younis voiced his disappointment with Shaheen Afridi’s opening spell, noting that the left-arm pacer put too much effort into the new ball.

“Shaheen was totally off-color with the new ball. Nobody in the Pakistan team lineup tried to bowl the short ball and the bouncers. The swing was there – Naseem showed it from the other end,” Waqar said.

“If you bowl in the right areas, you will trouble the batters. But Shaheen has to think hard, even in the previous match, although he bowled a brilliant 10 overs, he was off-color and tried too hard today and gave away easy boundaries,” he further added.

In his second spell, Shaheen Afridi showed improvement, conceding only six runs in two overs while also claiming Shubman Gill’s wicket. However, before he could attempt to end the game on a positive note, rain interrupted the day’s play.