‘They say Pakistan seamers are the best and I’m like no’: Moeen Ali questions hype around Naseem-Shaheen-Haris trio | Cricket News
Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali questioned the hype over the Pakistan seam trio of Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf and said they do not rank among the best bowling attacks in the current international circuit.
While Pakistan’s pace spearheads had their moments during the 2022 T20 World Cup where they finished runners-up behind an English side that included Ali, the pace trio have not quite reached the same heights ever since. Shah, Afridi and Rauf have now been part of three successive ICC white-ball events where Pakistan suffered group-stage exits. The trio also had a forgettable campaign recently at home as Pakistan hosted the ICC Champions Trophy, the first global event in the country since 1996.
Ali said he could not understand the perception about Pakistan producing world-class pacers and said that the Shaheen-Naseem-Rauf trio rated only as a decent bowling attack in the international bracket.
“This is the thing people have. Especially people with Pakistani backgrounds. They’ll say Pakistani seamers are the best. I’m like no, they’re not. They’re good, but they’re not the best,” Ali recently said on the Beard Before Wicket podcast on YouTube.
“Naseem Shah, Shaheen and Haris Rauf are very good. We’re not saying they are bad, but they’re not the best,” he added.
Ali, however, lauded Pakistan’s grassroots system for continually producing tearaway seam bowlers. “Pakistan have this thing where they do produce very good fast bowlers. Again, it’s something in their coaching system where they coach Pakistanis unbelievably well,” he added.
With only six wickets between them in the Champions Trophy, Pakistan’s seam trio will aim to redeem themselves during the New Zealand limited-overs tour. While Afridi and Rauf will be in action during the T20Is that begin on Sunday, Shah will be part of the ODI squad that will play three matches.