KEY POINTS
- Ian Bishop’s comments came during Starc’s explosive 5-wicket haul against West Indies
- Afridi, with 345 international wickets, continues to earn global acclaim as Pakistan’s pace spearhead
ISLAMABAD: West Indies legendary fast bowler Ian Bishop has compared Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi to Australia’s Mitchell Starc, calling him “Baby Starc” for his ability to bowl with pace and precision and consistently hit the stumps.
The compliment came during the final day of the third Test between Australia and West Indies, a match that saw Starc tear through the Caribbean batting line-up with ruthless precision, snatching five wickets in just 15 balls and sending a shockwave through the cricketing world.
Watching Starc at his lethal best stirred a familiar image in Bishop’s mind: a tall, fiery left-armer who swings the ball at blistering pace — and wears the star and crescent on his chest.
“Mitchell Starc and Shaheen Shah Afridi are well known for this,” Bishop declared during live commentary. “Watch your stumps and protect them. Because if you don’t, they will be gone.”
It wasn’t just passing praise. Bishop’s words carried weight, especially as he revisited the era of fast-bowling royalty — from Glenn McGrath’s surgical precision to the towering intimidation of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh.
“What I love about international cricket,” he said, “is how bowlers like McGrath scared batters with nothing but accuracy. Ambrose and Walsh did the same. Now, Hazlewood is walking that path. And then you have Shaheen — Pakistan’s very own Baby Starc.”
It’s no surprise that Afridi is drawing such high comparisons. Since making his debut against the West Indies in 2018, the 24-year-old has grown into Pakistan’s pace lynchpin.
With 345 international wickets under his belt and counting — including seven five-fors — Shaheen has been nothing short of a storm in green.
His spells during the 2021 T20 World Cup, especially against India, remain etched in cricketing memory, a performance that earned him the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year award.
But for Bishop, it’s not just the numbers — it’s the aura. The angle, the speed, the swing, and most crucially, the wicked ability to uproot timber.
“Quite different,” he said of Shaheen and Starc, “but very similar in effect.”
