Aaqib Javed: “If you can play league cricket then you can also play four-day cricket to prepare for Tests”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed has attributed left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi’s non-selection in Tests to the fact that he has not been playing first-class cricket.
Afridi was once Pakistan’s pace spearhead in the longest format, but he missed a majority of Pakistan’s three-Test series against England in October 2024 before being overlooked for the two-Test series against South Africa and the West Indies.
Aaqib hinted that instead of featuring for Fortune Barishal in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the 24-year-old should have played first-class cricket in Pakistan so that he can start bowling longer spells.
“There is a lot of all-format cricket going around the world. You have to bowl 20-25 overs in a Test. So, if you have not played four-day cricket, the energy levels get too low while bowling against tailenders,” he was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
“If Shaheen played in South Africa, Abbas wouldn’t have and he was the reason we came close to winning.
“If you can play league cricket then you can also play four-day cricket to prepare for Tests.”
Even though he missed Pakistan’s Test series against South Africa and the West Indies, Afridi was included in the squad for the ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa.
He was also picked for the 2025 Champions Trophy, which will take place from February 19 to March 9.
Pakistan Squad for 2025 Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah
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