Ramiz Raja: “Strange though to see Shaheen Afridi not being part of the Test series squad. If not in SA then where?”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has admitted it is strange left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi was not picked for the ongoing two-Test series against South Africa.
Afridi did play in both the T20I and ODI series against the Proteas, which preceded the Tests.
In the T20Is, the 24-year-old took three wickets in two games at an average of 19.66.
He then picked up seven wickets in three ODIs at an average of 23.28.
Considering how good his form has been, Ramiz reiterated it is baffling why the selectors decided to overlook Afridi for the Test series, especially since the conditions in South Africa tend to be pace-friendly.
“Strange though to see Shaheen Afridi not being part of the Test series squad. If not in SA then where?” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pakistan lost the 1st Test against South Africa in Centurion by two wickets.
The 2nd Test began on January 3 in Cape Town.
Pakistan Squad for South Africa T20I Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha
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