Shaheen Shah Afridi is a Pakistani international cricketer renowned as a left-arm fast bowler.
Born on 6 April 2000 in Landi Kotal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (then part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas), he belongs to the Zakhakhel Afridi tribe of the Pashtuns.
Standing about 6 feet 6 inches tall and nicknamed “The Eagle,” he bowls with pace, swing, and deadly yorkers while batting left-handed.
He represents Pakistan across Test, One-Day International, and T20 International formats and has captained the side in limited-overs cricket.
Siblings
Shaheen is the youngest of seven brothers and has no sisters. His eldest brother, Riaz Afridi, was born on 21 January 1985 and is roughly 15 years older.
Riaz is a right-arm medium-fast bowler and right-handed batsman who played a solitary Test match for Pakistan in 2004 against Sri Lanka.
He later captained the FATA Cheetas in domestic T20 cricket and has worked as a coach, including with sides connected to the Pakistan Super League.
Riaz played a pivotal role in Shaheen’s development, introducing him to hard-ball cricket, taking him to trials, and guiding him in the fundamentals of fast bowling.
The two brothers remain close, with Shaheen often seeking his advice.
Other brothers include Shan Afridi, described as a youth organizer and social activist, and Sandal Afridi.
Career
Shaheen began his cricket journey on the Tatara Ground in Landi Kotal, progressing from tennis-ball games with his brothers to formal hard-ball cricket after his elder brother Riaz took him to FATA Under-16 trials around 2015.
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He featured for Pakistan’s Under-19 side, including the 2016 Asia Cup and the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, where he was the team’s leading wicket-taker and earned recognition as a rising star from the ICC.
He made his first-class debut in 2017 with outstanding figures of 8 for 39, the best by a Pakistani on debut in that competition.
Internationally, he debuted in T20Is in April 2018 against the West Indies, in ODIs in September 2018 against Afghanistan, and in Tests in December 2018 against New Zealand.
He quickly became a mainstay of Pakistan’s attack, known for early breakthroughs and death-over control.
In the 2019 Cricket World Cup he produced a memorable six-wicket haul against Bangladesh, becoming the youngest bowler to take a five-wicket haul in a World Cup match.
Domestically and in franchise cricket he has been a key figure for Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League, taking over as captain and leading the side to titles.
He has also played in other T20 leagues.
Over time he has accumulated substantial wicket tallies across formats, reached the milestone of 100 wickets in each of Test, ODI and T20I cricket (the youngest to do so), and taken on leadership responsibilities, including periods as T20I and later ODI captain for Pakistan.
Accolades
Afridi’s standout individual honour came in 2021 when he was named the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year and received the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, becoming the first Pakistani to win the award.
The same year he earned the PCB’s Impactful Performance of the Year recognition.
As captain of Lahore Qalandars he guided the franchise to Pakistan Super League titles in 2022, 2023 and 2025, making him the first captain to win three PSL championships.
He has also claimed bowling awards and leading-wicket-taker honours in the competition.
Additional records include the best bowling figures by a Pakistani on first-class debut, the youngest five-wicket haul in a World Cup match, and becoming the first Pakistani and youngest bowler overall to reach 100 wickets in all three international formats.
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