The future star of Pakistan’s pace bowling department, Shaheen Afridi, was given a break during their recently concluded two-match Test series in South Africa, which they went on to lose by a 2-0 margin. He was part of the three ODIs and as many T20Is in the series to the lead-up to the red-ball leg but couldn’t find a place in the squad.
The reports claimed that the selectors have been aiming to give a break to Shaheen Afridi, as a tight schedule of the home tri-series against New Zealand and the Proteas will take place ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025. They will then fly for a T20I series in the land of Kiwis before returning home for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025.
Despite the break, the lanky fast bowler has been spending time in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), where he has already featured in five encounters in Mirpur and Sylhet to pick up four wickets with the best spell of 2/20 against Rajshahi.
Shaheen Afridi was overlooked by Pakistan selectors in the longest format
The green brigade will end their third cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 with two home Tests against West Indies, but Shaheen Afridi hasn’t earned a place in that squad, while the national selectors have decided to provide rest to Mohammad Abbas and Naseem Shah, both of whom were part of the trip to the Rainbow Nation.
Also Read: Ramiz Raja’s Insensitive Comment On Shaheen Afridi Suffering Injury Gets Him Slammed By Fans
The 24-year-old fast bowler has featured in 31 red-ball encounters for the national side, where he has picked up 116 wickets at an average of just below 28 and a strike rate of around 53 with the help of 12 four-wicket hauls and four five-wicket hauls at the best bowling figure of 6/51 in an inning.
The last Test for the pacer was against England in October 2024 in Multan, where he was smashed 1/120 in 26 overs of the first innings as they went on to lose the game by innings and 47 runs. The next red-ball clash after the West Indies series for the Shan Masood-led side is in October 2025, when they will host South Africa. But the recent affairs have created a doubt if the selectors have kept the pacer in their plans for the longest format of the game.
He was sidelined for the two Tests at home against the Ben Stokes-led side last year, along with the second Rawalpindi Test against Bangladesh in the same year and also during the third and final Test of their Australia trip at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The selection committee has also left out Mir Hamza and Aamer Jamal for the Caribbean series.
That could have happened because of the nature of the surface, which is expected to be an advantage for the spinners. Sajid Khan, Noman Ali, and Abrar Ahmed are expected to play a key role in the game. The reports have addressed that the goal for the selectors is to keep Shaheen Afridi and Naseem fit for the Champions Trophy starting from February 19.
“The selectors want Shaheen and even Naseem at their best in the Champions Trophy as it is a 50-over competition, and we are defending champions.” The reports of ‘The Pioneer’ expressed.
Also Read: BCCI Makes Domestic Cricket Compulsory For Contracted Players; Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Targeted
“But for the West Indies series, there was no purpose taxing him out since both teams are out of this cycle of the World Test Championship final contention, and the selectors are planning to have spin pitches in Multan.” It has been informed.
But there was no reasonable answer for the selectors to ignore Shaheen Afridi for the South Africa trip, where they have not earned a Test victory since 2006. At the age of 24, the pacer displayed his desire to feature for the national side across formats.