See the Big Bash League’s largest abroad star make one of many worst debuts in Aussie cricket historical past
- They were unprecedented scenes
The Brisbane Heat’s newest marquee signing Shaheen Shah-Afridi has had a nightmare Big Bash debut against the Melbourne Renegades.
Afridi was sensationally banished from the Heat attack by the umpires in his Big Bash League debut for dangerous bowling at Marvel Stadium.
The 25-year-old bowled two full-toss no-balls above waist height in his third over towards the back end of the Renegades’ innings.
Umpires then had him withdrawn from the bowling attack for dangerous play.
The debacle forced Heat captain Nathan McSweeney to step in and bowl the final two deliveries of the 18th over.
Afridi finished with figures of 0-43 in a debut that started with promise but quickly turned into a nightmare.
Pakistan star Shaheen Shah Afridi (pictured) endured a nightmare start to his stint in the Big Bash League
The 25-year-old (pictured) was axed because of dangerous bowling
Renegades opener Tim Seifert (pictured) scored a quick-fire century to help hand the Heat an opening-match loss
His performance has since been savaged by fans on social media.
‘Bowling beamers, leaking runs at the rate of nearly 14, he has a forgettable outing. He should forget as quickly as he can,’ one user wrote on X.
‘He is in (the) wrong profession,’ another added on Facebook.
This isn’t the first time a bowler has been forced out of an attack in a Big Bash game.
In early 2023, Renegades player David Moody was given his marching orders for the same actions.
The first error was a ball directed at the ribs of Scorchers batter Cam Bancroft.
His second mistake was another full toss above waist height to Stephen Eskinazi.
Afridi’s Brisbane side ended up losing their opening match of the 2025/26 season by 14 runs.
Fans have been quick to slam the fast bowler on social media
COMMENT
Afridi (pictured playing for Pakistan) is one of his nation’s biggest cricketing heroes
Renegades opener Tim Seifert starred with a rapid 102 runs from 59 deliveries.
He was supported by middle-order batter Oliver Peake who scored a rapid 59 runs from 29 balls.
The Heat play again on Friday, when they host the Perth Scorchers.
Afridi is Pakistan’s captain in One Day International cricket, and is an integral member of Pakistan’s Test and T2OI teams.
