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'There's this perception, that Pakistan has best seamers. I'm like, no!': England's World Cup winner believes Pakistan's pace trio 'not the best in the business'

After claiming that ODI cricket is dead, Moeen Ali said that the perception of Pakistan pacers being the best is wrong at the moment currently.

Sports Tak

• Sat • 15 Mar 2025

Pakistan's Naseem Shah (C) gestures as England's Moeen Ali (L) and England's Ben Stokes (R) run between the wickets during the ICC men's T20 World Cup 2022 final at The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on November 13, 2022.

Highlights:

Pakistan pacers were lacklustre in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Naseem Shah was dropped from T20I squad whereas Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf missed the ODI squad.

Moeen Ali feels Pakistan seamers' perception of being the best is incorrect.

England's ODI World Cup 2019 and T20 World Cup 2022 winner Moeen Ali does not put the current Pakistan pacers in the category of 'best'. Moeen feels there is a wrong perception that Pakistan and Pakistan-origin pacers are the best but is not the case. The former England all-rounder's comments came to the fore after Pakistan's Champions Trophy 2025 debacle.

"There's this perception, especially among people with Pakistani backgrounds, that Pakistan has the best seamers. I'm like, no. They're good, but they're not the best," Moeen said on TalkSport's podcast alongside former teammate Adil Rashid.

“Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, and Haris Rauf are good. Don’t take me wrong. I am not calling them bad but they are not the best in the business at the moment,” he added.

After Pakistan failed to win a single match in the Champions Trophy 2025, there were drastic changes in the white-ball squads for New Zealand tour. In the pace-bowling department, Naseem Shah was dropped from the T20I squad. In the ODI squad, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi did not make the cut.

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Moeen feels ODI cricket is dead

Earlier, Moeen has said that the ODI format is the worst because of the two new ball rule and the fielding restrictions which make it heavily tilted in the batters' favours.

"The format has almost completely died out, apart from World Cups and Champions Trophy. It is the worst format to play and I think there are many reasons for that," the 37-year-old said.

"I think the rules are terrible. To have that extra fielder after (the first powerplay), I think it's a horrendous rule for taking wickets, building any sort of pressure. Guys are averaging 60, 70 in ODI cricket now because of that.

"When you're bowling at somebody and you put a little bit of pressure, he just reverse-sweeps and it's not even a single, it's a four. It's just there's always that option available for the batters (to score).

"On top of all this, you have two new balls, you lose the reverse swing, you lose the art of trying to hit a softer ball.

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"Everything's always in the middle and crisp and it's flying off your bat and stuff. I think for those reasons, the cricket's just died. 50-over cricket has died," he further added.

Pakistan's next assignment

Under the captaincy of Agha Salman, Pakistan take on a second-string New Zealand led by Michael Bracewell in the five-T20I series starting March 16.