Shan Masood Reveals Why Shaheen Will Not Play 3rd Test Match

As Pakistan’s team prepares for the third and final Test match against Australia, their captain, Shan Masood, has shared the reason behind resting premier pacer, Shaheen Afridi, from the final Test.

During a press conference ahead of tomorrow’s Test, Shan Masood revealed the management wanted to oversee his workload because Shaheen had bowled a lot of overs recently, including 54 overs in the MCG Test Match just a few days ago.

He added, “Shaheen Afridi has bowled most overs in world cricket in recent times. He gives his 150% in the training sessions as well. He is our main player. We’ll make sure we look after Shaheen Afridi really well.”

Shan also threw his weight behind Babar Azam, who has been struggling for form over the past few matches.

Shan said, “Babar Azam is our main player. We have no concerns over his performance. His approach is positive. He is practising for hours in the nets and has great fitness. I am looking forward to him scoring big in the Sydney Test.”

Pakistan has already announced the playing XI for tomorrow’s Test match, making two changes. Shaheen Afridi has been rested, and off-spinner Sajid Khan has replaced him.

Additionally, opener Imam-ul-Haq has been dropped due to his poor form, and the young talented batter Saim Ayub will make his Test debut as his replacement.

Pakistan’s fielding performance during the tour has been subpar, with several dropped catches proving costly in crucial matches. Shan was well aware of this issue and shared his thoughts on his team’s fielding, particularly focusing on the performance at the slips.

Masood also mentioned that he might consider deploying Babar Azam in the slips, as Babar has demonstrated decent skills in that position in the past.

Meanwhile, the third and final Test is set to begin tomorrow at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Shan Masood and the company are looking to avoid the clean sweep as they have already lost the three-Test match series 2-0.