Mohammad Hafeez: “First, he was removed from Tests, then from ODIs – so what exactly is Shaheen Afridi’s role now?”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez wants to know what left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi’s role in the team is after he was dropped in both Tests and ODIs.
Afridi used to be Pakistan’s pace spearhead in all three formats, but it appears as if that is no longer the case.
The 25-year-old last played Test cricket in October 2024 and was left out of Pakistan’s squad for the recent three-match ODI series against New Zealand.
However, he did feature in the five-match T20I series against the Black Caps, but performed poorly as he only took two wickets in four games at an average of 66.50 and an economy rate of 10.23.
“First, Shaheen Afridi is dropped from the Test squad, and the reason given is that he is being rested. But Shaheen himself says, ‘I am not resting; I have been dropped.’ Yes, he hasn’t been performing well in ODIs, and failure is a different issue, but this is not the right approach. First, he was removed from Tests, then from ODIs – so what exactly is Shaheen Afridi’s role now?” Hafeez was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Afridi is now captaining the Lahore Qalandars in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and has regained some form as he has claimed 16 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 18 and an economy rate of 7.96.
The Qalandars defeated Islamabad United in Qualifier 2 and advanced to the PSL final on May 25, where they will face the Quetta Gladiators.
Despite his strong showing in PSL 10, Afridi was left out of Pakistan’s team for the three T20Is against Bangladesh, which will take place in Lahore from May 28 to June 1.
Lahore Qalandars Squad for PSL 10:
- Platinum: Daryl Mitchell, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain)
- Diamond: Haris Rauf, Kusal Perera, Sikandar Raza
- Gold: Abdullah Shafique, Jahandad Khan, Zaman Khan
- Silver: Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, David Wiese, Muhammad Akhlaq, Rishad Hossain
- Emerging: Mohammad Azab, Momin Qamar
- Supplementary: Muhammad Naeem, Sam Billings, Salman Ali Mirza, Tom Curran
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper) and Saim Ayub
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