Pakistan have announced their squad for the home Test series against the West Indies. It is evident that this is a very tough team as all the first-team players are back after missing the tour of South Africa.
However, the big surprise was the absence of star fast bowler Shaheen Afridi. Afridi did not find a place in the team which had only two fast bowlers in the form of Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Ali.
Shaheen was not even selected in Pakistan’s Test squad for the tour of South Africa where the conditions were more beneficial for the seamers. He continues to be overlooked which has raised questions about his future in Test cricket.
Also read: BCCI unhappy with Gautam Gambhir’s support staff, likely to take major action soon
Has Shaheen Afridi finished her Test career?
A source has claimed that Pakistan’s premier fast bowlers in white ball format Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have been saved for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wants both the bowlers to be at their best in the tournament.
“The selectors want Shaheen (Afridi) and even Naseem (Shah) at their best in the Champions Trophy as it is a 50-over competition and we are defending the title,” PTI quoted a source as saying.
It should be noted that Naseem Shah, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas and Aamer Jamal have been dropped from the Pakistan squad for the home Test series against the West Indies. All these bowlers were part of the tour of South Africa which Pakistan lost 0-2 to the hosts.
The source further claimed that Shaheen took a break due to her hectic schedule. With Pakistan already out of contention for the WTC finals, the selection committee did not want Afridi to be considered for the Tests and wanted him to focus on the white-ball formats.
“But for the West Indies series, there was no point taxing him as both teams are out of the World Test finals this cycle and the selectors plan to have pitches in Multan,” the source added.
Shaheen Afridi’s role in Pakistan’s ODI series win in South Africa
Shaheen Afridi along with Naseem Shah is Pakistan’s best fast bowler in white ball cricket. Although the left-arm fast bowler has been dropped from the Test format, he continues to play an influential role in ODIs and T20Is.
Afridi was part of the Pakistan squad for the ODI and T20I series in South Africa and performed quite well. He took 3 wickets in two T20Is and 7 wickets in three ODIs. He also helped Pakistan achieve a historic clean sweep over South Africa in the ODI series.
Shaheen Afridi’s Test Cricket Figures
Shaheen Afridi played 31 Tests and picked up 116 wickets at an average of 27.88. He was Pakistan’s best bowler across formats till last year. However, his performance fell sharply, especially in the Test format.
He was eventually dropped from Pakistan’s Test squad for the second Test against England last year as the team moved towards preparing pitches more suitable for spin. Since then he has been out of the testing team. However, the 24-year-old confirmed that he is ready to play the Test format as well.
