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Disciplinary Issues And...? 3 Reasons Why Pakistan Are Ignoring Shaheen Afridi In Tests

Aashay Chopade∙ Updated: Jan 11 2025, 8:20 PM

Shaheen Afridi in Test cricket (Source:@CricketTimesHQ/X.com)Shaheen Afridi in Test cricket (Source:@CricketTimesHQ/X.com)

Shaheen Afridi is one of the premier bowlers for Pakistan and has played a major role in their success in the last few years. He has played across formats for Pakistan and has been brilliant in all formats which makes him a key player for his nation.

However, in the last few Test series, Pakistan have not selected Shaheen Afridi and it has raised quite a few eyebrows. Shaheen Afridi has 116 wickets in 31 matches and so it is hard to find any problems in his on-field performances. However, there are some important factors that has forced team management to leave out their star pacer from the purest format of the game. Let's analyze them in this article now.

Disciplinary Issues 

There have been reports in the recent past that Shaheen Afridi has not been considered in Test cricket because of disciplinary issues. According to the Cricket Pakistan report, Shaheen Afridi has been ignored by Pakistan selectors because of his non-compliance to the request made by a selector.

Reportedly, one of the selectors wanted Shaheen Afridi to play a four-day domestic game before the South African series. The star pacer did not follow this advice and hence was not picked for the Test series against the Proteas and has is absent from the squad for the West Indies series as well.

Fitness Management Ahead Of Champions Trophy 2025

The Champions Trophy 2025 is around the corner and Pakistan selectors seem keen to keep their main pacers fresh for the marquee tournament. Shaheen Afridi has been playing white-ball cricket regularly and has been doing well, but he is a fast bowler and they can be injury-prone, so Pakistan are taking a cautious approach ahead of Champions Trophy.

In the past, Pakistan have suffered due to injuries to their premier pacers in big ICC tournaments. Shaheen Afridi had a ligament injury in 2022 which kept him out of the game for almost an year and it makes the decision of keeping him away from longest format before Champions Trophy a logical one.

Chance To Groom Youngsters With New WTC Cycle Approaching

The 2023-25 WTC cycle is at the fag end and the two finalists have also been decided. Pakistan lost quite a few matches early in the cycle, and were out of the race quite early. So, it provided Pakistan with an opportunity to try out new players ahead of the next cycle and Shaheen Afridi's absence from the Test squad seems to be a product of it. 

The likes of Mir Hamza, Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Abbas played against South Africa and the experience could help them in the next cycle when Pakistan try to win games away from home as well as at home. They also tried turning tracks at home which prompted pacers playing a minimal role and it seems that Pakistan selectors have decided to not waste the energy of their star pacer on turning tracks and save him for Champions Trophy and next WTC cycle.