| Full Name | Shaheen Shah Afridi |
| Nickname | The Eagle |
| Age | 26 |
| Date of Birth | 6 April 2000 |
| Birthplace | Landi Kotal, Khyber Agency, Pakistan |
| Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) |
| Batting Style | Left Handed Bat |
| Bowling Style | Left Arm Fast |
| Playing Role | Bowler |
| PSL Team | Lahore Qalandars — Captain (2026) |
| T20I Debut | 3 April 2018 — vs West Indies |
| ODI Debut | 21 September 2018 — vs Afghanistan |
| Test Debut | 3 December 2018 — vs New Zealand |
| Family | Brother: Riaz Afridi; Father-in-law: Shahid Afridi |
| Format | M | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Avg | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI | 74 | 139 | 6/35 | 6/35 | 25.12 | 5.62 | 26.8 | 8 | 3 |
| Test | 34 | 126 | 6/51 | 10/94 | 28.13 | 3.18 | 53.0 | 13 | 4 |
| T20I | 103 | 136 | 4/22 | 4/22 | 21.35 | 7.83 | 16.3 | 3 | 0 |
M: Matches Wkts: Wickets BBI: Best Bowling Innings BBM: Best Bowling Match Avg: Average Econ: Economy SR: Strike Rate
| Format | M | Inn | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 50s | 100s | Ct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI | 74 | 43 | 321 | 37 | 13.37 | 85.82 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Test | 34 | 47 | 269 | 29* | 7.27 | 42.83 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| T20I | 103 | 42 | 345 | 33* | 14.37 | 125.91 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
M: Matches Inn: Innings HS: Highest Score Avg: Average SR: Strike Rate Ct: Catches
Source: ESPNCricinfo · Updated May 2026
Shaheen Shah Afridi is Pakistan’s most lethal fast bowler and one of the most complete left-arm pacers playing international cricket today. Born on 6 April 2000 in Landi Kotal in the Khyber Agency, he grew up in a cricketing family and was pushed toward hard-ball cricket by his older brother Riaz Afridi who played Test cricket for Pakistan. Shaheen’s rise from the tape-ball streets of Khyber to leading Pakistan’s ODI attack is one of the more compelling stories in modern cricket.
He burst onto the domestic scene by taking 8 for 39 on his Quaid-e-Azam Trophy debut, the best figures ever recorded by a debutant in that competition. That performance earned him a PSL contract with Lahore Qalandars, where his five wickets for four runs in a single group game made the national selectors sit up and take serious notice. Later in 2018 he became the first cricketer born after the year 2000 to represent Pakistan in international cricket, debuting in T20Is against the West Indies before his ODI and Test caps followed in the same year.
Standing 6 feet 6 inches tall, Shaheen combines raw pace with intelligent variations. He does not just skid the ball through; he extracts bounce on flat surfaces, swings it both ways at speed and nails the yorker with the kind of accuracy that batters find genuinely hard to read. In the 2021 T20 World Cup he produced one of Pakistan’s most celebrated bowling spells, dismissing Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in the opening over of the India versus Pakistan match. That night in Dubai became a cultural moment for Pakistani cricket fans everywhere.
His best Test figures of 6 for 51 came against New Zealand and he holds the match figures of 10 for 94 in that same game. In ODIs his best of 6 for 35 came against New Zealand in 2021, a spell that announced him as Pakistan’s number one white-ball weapon. He has been capped as ODI captain and previously led the T20I side before the formats were split. Away from international cricket he has led Lahore Qalandars to three PSL titles in 2022, 2023 and 2025 while consistently being the tournament’s most feared bowler.
In 2021 Shaheen was named ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year, the first Pakistani to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy. He continues to be Pakistan’s most important bowler across all three formats heading into 2026 and remains one of the most exciting fast bowling talents on the planet.
Shaheen has taken 401 international wickets across all formats: 139 ODI wickets at 25.12, 126 Test wickets at 28.13 and 136 T20I wickets at 21.35. His best ODI figures are 6 for 35 against New Zealand and his best Test figures are 6 for 51 with match figures of 10 for 94.
As of May 2026, Shaheen is ranked 17th in ODI bowling, 24th in Test bowling and 30th in T20I bowling. He has previously reached the number one spot in ODI bowling rankings twice, in 2023 and 2024.
Shaheen Afridi is the Pakistan ODI captain in 2026. He previously captained the T20I side before the formats were split. Shan Masood leads Pakistan in Tests and Salman Ali Agha captains the T20I team.
Shaheen Afridi plays for and captains Lahore Qalandars in PSL 2026. He has led the Qalandars to three PSL titles in 2022, 2023 and 2025 and is the most decorated captain in the franchise’s history.
His best match bowling figures of 10 for 94 came against New Zealand in Test cricket. His best innings figures in Tests are 6 for 51, also against New Zealand. In ODIs his career best is 6 for 35. In domestic cricket he took 8 for 39 on his Quaid-e-Azam Trophy debut.
Yes. Shaheen Afridi is married to Ansha Afridi, daughter of former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, making Shahid his father-in-law. His own brother Riaz Afridi also played one Test for Pakistan back in 2004.
