Shaheen Shah Afridi Banned From Bowling After Dangerous Deliveries in BBL Debut

Shaheen Shah Afridi's introduction to the Big Bash League was cut short in Geelong after umpires removed him from the attack for dangerous bowling. The incident occurred during the match between the Brisbane Heat and the Melbourne Renegades.

Afridi, making his BBL debut, bowled two waist-high full tosses in the 18th over of the Renegades' innings. The deliveries, one each to Tim Seifert and Ollie Peake, prompted officials to take him out of the game.

Following the announcement that he could no longer bowl, Afridi offered a smile as Heat captain Nathan McSweeney was called upon to bowl the final two balls of the over.

Afridi's figures finished at 0-43 from 2.4 overs. His difficult debut also included three no-balls and two wides. Despite entering the game with significant anticipation, especially with fellow Pakistani player Mohammad Rizwan also debuting for the Renegades, Afridi struggled to find his rhythm after a promising start that saw him bowl three dot balls in his opening over.

He was not brought back into the attack until the 13th over when the Renegades opted for the power surge. That over cost 19 runs, preceding the disastrous 18th over where he conceded 15 runs, including the three no-balls that contributed to his removal.

The Renegades ultimately posted a total of 212 for 5, aided by Seifert's explosive 102 off 56 balls and Peake's quickfire 57 off 29. Rizwan, batting at No. 3, was dismissed for just 4 runs from ten balls, caught off the bowling of left-arm spinner Paddy Dooley.

*Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth*