Former Cricketer Questions Shaheen Afridi’s Exclusion from Bangladesh Series

Shaheen Afridi’s future in the Pakistan cricket team grew murkier after the PCB announced its squad for the Bangladesh series, with the left-arm pacer missing out on the cut once again.

That move has not sat well with many in Pakistan’s cricketing community, including former international cricketer Basit Ali, who openly questioned the PCB’s rationale behind ignoring Shaheen Afridi for another series.

Basit, who aired his grievances on social media, took to X (formerly Twitter), writing: “Why is he not in the team?” The message was accompanied by a photo of the left-arm quick, who last played a T20I during Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand earlier this year.

While Babar and Rizwan’s absences have been digestible for experts given the rise of aggressive-minded batters at the top of Pakistan’s batting order, Shaheen Afridi’s omission has not been properly explained. The 25-year-old remains in high demand in T20s across the globe and has firmly established himself as one of Pakistan’s premier pace options despite not being at his best in the international arena in recent outings.

With Haris Rauf out injured, and Naseem Shah and Wasim Jr working on regaining fitness, the time looked right for Shaheen Afridi to return to international cricket. However, the PCB has decided to include newer faces, with Ahmed Daniyal and Salman Mirza preferred over the former Pakistan captain, and Abbas Afridi getting another shot at reclaiming his place in the international setup.

While Babar, Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi have all been overlooked for the Bangladesh series, they have been named among five additional players invited to join the pre-series training camp in Karachi, hinting that Shaheen’s story in Pakistan’s T20I setup may not be over yet.

As the PCB continues to chart a new direction in T20 cricket, Basit Ali’s pointed question reflects a sentiment shared by many, that leaving out a fully fit and in-form Shaheen Afridi deserves more explanation than silence. Whether this marks a period of rotation or something more permanent remains to be seen, but for now, the conversation around Shaheen’s absence is unlikely to fade quietly.