In Pakistan, there is concern about the dwindling speeds of their fast bowlers, to the extent that the National Cricket Academy is devising a plan to try and overcome it, according to ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi on the eve of the series opener against Australia in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan have a rich legacy of express fast bowlers, but the current crop remains under scrutiny because of their inability to match the pace of their contemporaries. The drop in speed has more often than not hampered the team's ability to dismiss oppositions twice in Test matches.
Their speeds were under the scanner throughout the 0-2 series Test series defeat for Shan Masood's team in Bangladesh. Across both Tests, the average speed of the Bangladesh fast bowlers (high-130s to mid-140s) was higher than Pakistan's (mid-120s and early 130s).
The decline in Afridi's bowling speed has been noticeable. He has struggled to bowl at 140kph consistently since his comeback from a knee injury in 2022, impacting his effectiveness. He was dropped for the Sylhet Test and had also been left out of the side for the second Rawalpindi Test against Bangladesh in 2024.
It was a stunning change in fortune for Afridi, who was considered to be Pakistan's spearhead at the turn of this decade. Before the fateful dive in Galle that halted his Test career for a year, Afridi picked up 99 wickets at 24.86. His next 27 wickets have been at over 40 runs apiece.
Afridi: 'Machines deteriorate with time'
Afridi said Bangladesh seamer Nahid Rana's performance in that Test series - 11 wickets in two Tests while bowling consistently in the high-140s - could not be seen in the same lens as Pakistan's because he is still young at the international level.
"First of all, Bangladesh fast bowler [Nahid] Rana must have played seven-eight matches," he said. "It is a norm that machines deteriorate with time. We are trying to recharge ourselves.
"You can put more pace in the ball when your body has had rest, but our bodies remain always at Pakistan's disposal. All the bowlers are thinking about how they can increase their speeds.
"Some of our bowlers are playing Tests and the others are playing ODIs so they stay fresh. The coaches and the NCA are working [on how to manage their loads]."
Afridi: Spoke to Rizwan about ODI axing
With the ODI World Cup 16 months away, Pakistan's selectors have been looking to increase the player pool by giving chances to those on the fringes, picking the uncapped Rohail Nazir, Arafat Minhas, and Ahmed Danyal.
They also brought back Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, and Shadab Khan - who last played the format during the 2023 ODI World Cup - but dropped Mohammad Rizwan.
Rizwan's omission has stood out since he has been Pakistan's second-best batter, behind Salman Ali Agha, in this cycle with 891 runs at 42.42. But there have been questions about his future with the side after his struggles with the bat and gloves in the recent Test series. Pakistan have already moved on from Rizwan in T20Is; his last appearance in the format was in December 2024.
"I would suggest you not to jump to conclusions," Shaheen replied when asked whether the doors of the ODI side were closed on Rizwan. "Babar and I were also dropped from the team but we are back. I have spoken to Rizwan about it.
"It is not as if his cricket is finished just because he has been dropped for this series. It is also important to give opportunities to youngsters ahead of the World Cup … The selectors are looking to provide young players opportunities for the last two series so there is a larger pool of players to select the World Cup squad from."
The second and third ODIs will be played in Lahore on June 2 and 4.