Web Desk: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) excluded Pakistan One Day International (ODI) captain Shaheen Shah Afridi from the upcoming Test squad today, signaling a permanent shift in his international career.
The decision came as the PCB think tank invited 49 players to a specialized training camp in Lahore, separating the players into 22 red-ball and 27 white-ball cricketers.
Shaheen will only join the 27-member white-ball camp on June 15, while the white-ball camp runs until September 18. Meanwhile, the red-ball training concludes on July 10, preceding the potential West Indies tour camp scheduled for July 15.
The selection committee chose to drop Shaheen from the longer format due to rising concerns over his workload, bowling speed, and lack of domestic first-class experience.
The 26-year-old fast bowler from Khyber Agency supported the decision by comparing his body to a machine that breaks down when overused, noting that rest will restore strength to the fast bowlers.
Shaheen made his Test debut in December 2017 against New Zealand at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. He played his last Test match in May 2026 against Bangladesh in Mirpur, where Pakistan suffered a 104-run defeat.
During that final match, the left-arm pacer took 3/113 in the first innings and 2/54 in the second innings. Consequently, selectors dropped him for the second Test in Sylhet to blood Khurram Shahzad. Overall, Shaheen ends his current Test run with 126 wickets across 34 Test matches, conceding 3,545 runs over 1,114 overs.
During the recent tour of Bangladesh, critics severely targeted Shaheen for a massive drop in his bowling velocity. The bowler, who regularly clocks over 140 kilometers per hour for Lahore Qalandars, barely touched 134 kilometers per hour in Bangladesh.
PCB management expressed deep reservations because the bowler has avoided first-class cricket since his debut for Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) against Rawalpindi at age 17.
The board believes that Shaheen cannot improve his Test-level bowling without playing four-day domestic cricket regularly. Based on these technical assessments, the PCB formal hierarchy decided that selectors will not consider the ODI captain for future Test team assignments.
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