{"id":3100,"date":"2026-06-09T09:48:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T09:48:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?p=3100"},"modified":"2026-06-09T09:48:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T09:48:08","slug":"pcb-decides-to-move-shaheen-afridi-out-of-test-plans-focus-to-remain-on-white-ball-cricket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?p=3100","title":{"rendered":"PCB Decides to Move Shaheen Afridi Out of Test Plans, Focus to Remain on White-Ball Cricket"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lahore:<\/strong> Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selectors have reportedly decided not to include Shaheen Shah Afridi<\/strong> in the national Test setup going forward, signaling a major shift in the career of one of Pakistan\u2019s most prominent fast bowlers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The development comes as the PCB announced training camps involving 49 players<\/strong>, divided between red-ball and white-ball formats. According to details, 22 players<\/strong> have been selected for the Test camp, while 27 players<\/strong> have been included in the camps for One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The white-ball camp is scheduled to continue until September 18<\/strong>, while the red-ball camp will run until July 10<\/strong>. Preparations for Pakistan\u2019s upcoming tour of the West Indies are expected to begin around July 15<\/strong>, with players likely to report shortly before the start of the camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shaheen Not Included in Test Camp<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to reports, the PCB\u2019s selection committee and cricket think tank have chosen not to include Shaheen Afridi among the players invited to the red-ball camp. Instead, the left-arm pacer has been named only in the white-ball group and is expected to report for camp on June 15<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decision is significant because Shaheen has been one of Pakistan\u2019s leading fast bowlers across formats for several years and has often been regarded as a key figure in the country’s pace attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Test Career Statistics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The 26-year-old fast bowler from Khyber Agency<\/strong> made his Test debut against New Zealand<\/strong> in December 2017 at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His most recent Test appearance came in May 2026<\/strong> against Bangladesh in Mirpur. Over the course of his Test career, Shaheen played 34 Test matches<\/strong>, bowling 1,114 overs<\/strong> and claiming 126 wickets<\/strong> while conceding 3,545 runs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His performances over the years established him as one of Pakistan\u2019s premier red-ball bowlers, particularly due to his ability to generate swing with the new ball and strike early in innings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bangladesh Series Proved Costly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Shaheen\u2019s last Test series against Bangladesh appears to have played a role in the selectors\u2019 assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Mirpur Test, which Pakistan lost by 104 runs<\/strong>, Shaheen took 3 wickets for 113 runs<\/strong> in the first innings after bowling 31.1 overs. In the second innings, he returned figures of 2 wickets for 54 runs<\/strong> from 16 overs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following that match, he was omitted from the second Test in Sylhet, where Khurram Shehzad<\/strong> was brought into the side instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerns Over Pace and Red-Ball Readiness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the major concerns reportedly raised by selectors relates to Shaheen\u2019s bowling speed during the Bangladesh tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While he is known for regularly bowling above 140 kilometers per hour<\/strong> for Lahore Qalandars and in white-ball cricket, observers noted that his pace dropped considerably during the Test series. Reports indicated that he struggled to consistently exceed 134 kilometers per hour<\/strong>, prompting criticism from analysts and former cricketers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Team management and selectors are also believed to have concerns about his limited participation in domestic first-class cricket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to reports, PCB officials feel that regular involvement in four-day cricket is essential for maintaining rhythm, endurance, and technical effectiveness in the Test format. Since Shaheen has largely focused on international cricket and franchise leagues, there are concerns that his red-ball skills may not improve without sustained first-class exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shift Toward White-Ball Cricket<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The reported decision suggests that Pakistan\u2019s management intends to utilize Shaheen primarily in limited-overs formats, where he remains one of the country’s most valuable players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the current captain of Pakistan\u2019s ODI side, Shaheen continues to be a central figure in the team’s white-ball plans. His ability to take wickets with the new ball and perform under pressure remains highly regarded in ODI and T20 cricket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move may also help manage his workload and reduce the risk of injuries, an issue that has affected his career in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Future Remains Open<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Although reports indicate that selectors currently do not view Shaheen as part of their Test plans, cricket decisions can change based on form, fitness, and performance. Strong performances in domestic red-ball cricket could potentially reopen the door for a return to the Test squad in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, however, the PCB appears to be focusing on a specialized role for the left-arm pacer, with Shaheen Afridi expected to concentrate on leading Pakistan\u2019s ODI side and contributing in white-ball cricket rather than the longest format of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If implemented permanently, the decision would mark the end of a notable chapter in Pakistan Test cricket and represent one of the most significant selection calls involving a senior player in recent years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lahore: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selectors have reportedly decided not to include Shaheen Shah Afridi in the national Test setup going forward, signaling a major..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/435528_7556084_updates-1.jpg",700,400,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/435528_7556084_updates-1-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/435528_7556084_updates-1-300x171.jpg",300,171,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/435528_7556084_updates-1.jpg",700,400,false],"large":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/435528_7556084_updates-1.jpg",700,400,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/435528_7556084_updates-1.jpg",700,400,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/435528_7556084_updates-1.jpg",700,400,false]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"Sports<\/a>","tag_info":"Sports","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3100"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3102,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3100\/revisions\/3102"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}