“I’ve got 16 wickets, still no rhythm you think?” smirked Shaheen Afridi, currently the leading wicket-taker in ICC World Cup 2023 to a question about bowling rhythm. It was an answer laced with the attitude of a proud fast bowler, a list Afridi would find a high spot in.
It is one amongst the many questions that have tailed Pakistan all along in the tournament. An attack lacking Naseem Shah was considered to have lost many teeth, including those of Afridi. It wasn’t that he was lacking wickets, for even when he has been worse for against quality batting, Afridi has managed to slip in wickets at some stage. Against India, he stopped a marauding Rohit Sharma, and against Australia, he did just enough in the final over to give his team a slim chance.
In spite of this, Afridi and company were not known for their ability to steal wickets. It involved establishing the tone. So, it did not come as much surprise that, Pakistan’s most complete bowling performance of the tournament came on the day when Afridi struck early, and in trademark style in the first over. Before he was bowled leg-before, Tanzid Hasan endured a toiling over and a few shaping deliveries. The ‘Afridi eagle’ was out early, and with it summoning in all of his companions to join in.
While Bangladesh rearranged their batting order to recapture past glory, Pakistan’s clock began to run. Usama Mir was awe-inspiring inside the ring, first by making a deft low capture and then by executing effective stops. On a pitch that wasn’t pace-friendly, Afridi was standing out with an opening spell of 3-1-2-2. His replacement, Haris Rauf, threatened to relieve the strain by having three of his first five deliveries hit for four before catching Mushfiqur Rahim behind. And Pakistan was bustling.
That it took Pakistan’s bowlers until the seventh match to hit their top mark begets the question of rhythm once again, as a collective if not Afridi’s alone. The pacer acknowledged that bowling in India required some modifications. “Not surprised,” he answered when asked about the new ball not swinging as much. “We’ve seen many IPL matches, and there was no early swing in this one. There is also a difference in the ball, which does not swing as much. And it’s not just me; Mitchell Starc and Trent Boult are also trying, but the ball is not swinging that much. It I.
Afridi’s key mantras for Pakistan’s success today on a “slow surface” were length and change of pace.
“6-7m if you bowl it’s difficult to hit early on. Our efforts have been towards bowling with variations. Haris has pace, Wasim has pace and our aim was to bowl in partnerships,” explained the pacer who incidentally had become the quickest Pakistan bowler to get 100 ODI wickets. It’s a stat that also serves as an indicator for Afridi’s adaptability, alongside the wicket-taking ability.
If not without the same success, Afridi believes that his team-mates are working towards making adjustments as well for the conditions that have been different in this World Cup.
“Rauf has a big role in white-ball cricket for Pakistan. The wickets are slow and you’ll have to bowl according to that. You see [Lockie] Ferguson, he bowls with so much pace and that’s becoming easy to hit. It’s necessary to use variations. Haris is trying to do the same, and still he’s picked 12 wickets and we’ll try to continue that.
Mohammad Wasim Jr, who wrapped up the tail with three quick wickets, also earned the praise of the strike-bowler. “It’s difficult to sit out and watch a few games, but Wasim has proven that he has worked on, he’s put in some work length-wise. He’s got results in the previous game, and now here as well.”
The three bowlers took eight wickets and were instrumental in bowling out Bangladesh for 204, with the spinners providing adequate support. Pakistan’s batsmen hunted down the total with the intent of improving their net run rate, which ultimately improved from -0.387 to -0.006. It not only kept alive their prospects of making it to the semifinal but also of restoring some lost prestige.
