Summary
- Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi will not be included in the Pakistan Test team.
- The PCB think tank has decided not to include Shaheen Shah Afridi in the Test squad camp.
- Keeping these concerns in mind, a decision has reportedly been made that the ODI captain will not be considered for selection in the Test team in the future.
Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi will not be included in the Pakistan Test team. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has invited 49 players to a training camp in Lahore. Of these, 22 players have been selected for the Test camp while 27 players have been chosen for the ODI and T20 camp.
The white-ball camp will continue until September 18 while the red-ball camp will run until July 10. A preparatory camp for the upcoming tour of the West Indies is expected to begin on July 15.
The PCB think tank has decided not to include Shaheen Shah Afridi in the Test squad camp. However, his name is included among the 27 players selected for the white-ball camp and he is expected to report on June 15.
The 26-year-old left-arm fast bowler from Khyber Agency made his Test debut against New Zealand at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi in December 2018. His most recent Test appearance came against Bangladesh in Mirpur in May 2026.
In 34 Test matches, Shaheen has bowled 1,114 overs taken 126 wickets at an average of 28.13 and conceded 3,545 runs. His last Test was played against Bangladesh in Mirpur in May this year where Pakistan suffered a 104-run defeat.
In that match, Shaheen recorded figures of 3 for 113 in 31.1 overs in the first innings and 2 for 54 in 16 overs in the second innings. Following that performance, he was dropped for the second Test in Sylhet and replaced by Khurram Shehzad.
During the Bangladesh tour, Shaheen’s bowling speed came under heavy criticism. While he regularly bowls at over 140 km/h for the Lahore Qalandars, he struggled to exceed 134 km/h during the Bangladesh series.
The PCB is also concerned that Shaheen does not regularly play first-class cricket. Board officials believe that without participating in four-day domestic matches, there is limited scope for improvement in his Test-match bowling.
Keeping these concerns in mind, a decision has reportedly been made that the ODI captain will not be considered for selection in the Test team in the future.
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