Shaheen Afridi

Opening batsmen know the feeling: a tall left-armer sprinting in, the ball hurled at pace and swinging late into the stumps. Shaheen Shah Afridi's ability to move the new ball and extract steep bounce made him a menace in the first over, regularly toppling top-order stumps with inswingers that dipped at the last moment. He attacks relentlessly, unafraid to pitch the ball up and challenge the drive.

From Khyber Agency, he rose fast through Pakistan's domestic ranks and made his international debut in 2018, before his 20th birthday. At the 2019 World Cup he took 6 for 35 against Bangladesh, then the best figures by a Pakistani at a World Cup. His most famous spell came at the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai, when he bowled Rohit Sharma and trapped KL Rahul in a raging opening burst as Pakistan beat India at a World Cup for the first time. He has since passed 100 Test wickets and briefly captained Pakistan's T20 side in 2024.

In the PSL he has been the face of Lahore Qalandars, captaining them to back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 and mentoring the franchise's young quicks. A serious knee injury in 2022 disrupted his rhythm and flared up again in that year's T20 World Cup final, but he returned with sharper yorkers and better game-management.

At his best, Shaheen is an event: the long run-up, the leap, the celebration that rouses crowds across Pakistan. Still in his mid-twenties, he remains Pakistan's new-ball spearhead in all formats and a genuine heir to the country's fast-bowling tradition.