Shaheen Afridi forced to end spell midway on BBL debut due to ‘dangerous bowling’

Geelong, Dec 15 (IANS) Shaheen Shah Afridi endured a difficult start to his Big Bash League career after being taken out of the attack for dangerous bowling during Brisbane Heat’s clash with Melbourne Renegades here at the Simonds Stadium on Tuesday.

In the 18th over of the first innings, the Pakistani fast bowler’s night fell apart when he bowled two waist-high full tosses — one to Tim Seifert and another to Ollie Peake. The umpires deemed the deliveries dangerous, forcing Afridi to stop bowling and leaving Heat captain Nathan McSweeney to complete the final two balls of the over.

Afridi could only smile wryly as he walked off, and his debut spell ended prematurely with figures of 0 for 43 from 2.4 overs. The over proved costly, yielding 15 runs and including three no-balls, adding to an already difficult outing that also featured two wides.

The left-arm bowler had arrived in the BBL amid great anticipation, with fellow Pakistan international Mohammad Rizwan also making his tournament debut for the Renegades. Afridi showed early promise, starting with three consecutive dot balls in his second over, but struggled to regain control thereafter.

After being held back, he was reintroduced in the 13th over during the Renegades’ Power Surge, only to concede 19 runs. His final over compounded the damage, sealing a challenging start to his league debut, as he finished with a poor economy rate of 16.10.

Melbourne Renegades capitalised on the Heat’s bowling troubles to post an imposing 212 for 5. Tim Seifert anchored the innings with a commanding 102 from 56 balls, while Ollie Peake provided late impetus with a rapid 57 off 29 balls. Rizwan, however, failed to make an impact, scoring just four runs from ten balls before being dismissed by left-arm spinner Paddy Dooley.

Despite the setback, Afridi’s debut drew attention as a reminder of the unforgiving nature of the BBL, where even elite international talent is quickly tested.

vi/