Shaheen Afridi in action© AFP
Pakistan has released left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi from its Test squad in Rawalpindi. Shaheen was left out of the 12-man squad selected by Pakistan for its ongoing second Test against Bangladesh, which saw the first day called off due to persistent rain at the Rawalpindi cricket stadium. In its statement, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that the Test team management decided to release Shaheen from the squad to enable him spend time with his family. It may be noted that on the fourth day of the first Test in Rawalpindi, which Pakistan lost by ten wickets to Bangladesh, Shaheen’s son Aliyaar was born.
In the first Test against Bangladesh, Shaheen took two wickets in the first innings but failed to take any heads in the second innings to finish with match figures of 2-96. Since the start of 2023, Shaheen's form in Test cricket has been patchy – 16 wickets in five Tests at an average of 40.81, compared to the 115 wickets he took in 30 matches at an average of 27.08.
The Shan Masood-led team has included left-arm spinner Mir Hamza and leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed in place of Shaheen in its 12-member squad for the second Test. Pakistan must win the ongoing game in Rawalpindi to level the two-match series against Bangladesh. A draw, especially given the rains predicted for days four and five, would give Bangladesh a historic first Test series win over Pakistan.
Both teams are in the bottom half of the 2023-2025 World Test Championship rankings, with Bangladesh at number seven and Pakistan at number eight, just above bottom-placed West Indies. Pakistan have not won a Test match at home since beating South Africa in December 2021.
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