17-year-old Shaheen Shah records best FC debut by a Pakistani

Pakistan’s latest fast bowling sensation Shaheen Shah who recently came into the limelight when videos of his smooth bowling action went viral earlier and he was tipped as Pakistan’s version of Mitchell Starc, achieved yet another feat on Wednesday by taking eight wickets in an innings on his first-class debut.

17-year-old Shaheen, hailing from Khyber Agency, made his FC debut in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy on Tuesday and on Wednesday, he announced his arrival by taking eight wickets, giving 39 runs. This is the best-ever performance by any Pakistani player on his first-class debut, previous best by a Pakistani was 8 for 58 by Nadeem Malik for Lahore against Sargodha in 1974.

Of Shaheen’s eight wickets, the bifurcation was three were bowled, two trapped leg-before-wicket, and one was caught behind which reflects his disciplined bowling at the match.

A brief history

As per Geo News, Shaheen came to be seen as a prodigy in the Under-16 talent hunt program last year and was included in Pakistan’s U19 team for U19 Asia Cup. Mushtaq Ahmed, the legendary leg-spinner of Pakistan and the head coach of National Cricket Academy, discovered him.

His natural swing is in-swing to right-handers but he can also bowl away from the right-handers. When he was put on the speed gun during PCB U16 camp last year, he impressed by consistently hitting 135+ kmph and occasionally 140+ kmph, and he was just 16 at the time.

The bowler earlier got a two-year BPL contract with Dhaka Dynamites, one of the leading franchises in the Bangladesh Premier League. Waqar Younis, one of the greatest fast bowlers also rated him highly and endorsed his talent.

With a lot of experiences that awaits him and with years of cricket ahead, Shaheen Shah Afridi could well be the next big thing for Pakistan’s fast-bowling legacy.