After Mass Sackings, Shaheen Afridi Sets Clear 'Priority' Over His Pakistan Future

Shaheen's Redball Return: A Priority Restored

Namaste dosto. Like the opening alap of a raga that slowly finds its ground note, Shaheen Shah Afridi has returned to the crease of redball cricket after a long silence. On Saturday, the left-arm pacer took to the field in the President's Trophy—his first competitive first-class match since 2019. A quiet but determined return.

Staking his claim

After being overlooked for the West Indies and England tours, Shaheen—126 wickets in 34 Tests since his 2018 debut—wants his Test comeback back on track. As he put it, per ICC: "Redball cricket is always my first priority." He's felt the rhythm of whiteball cricket all year, but the longer format has grown distant.

Lessons from the elder brother

Shaheen spoke warmly of learning from elder brother Riaz Afridi, a seasoned first-class cricketer. "In the longer format, the longer you spend on the ground, the better your confidence, your line and length get finetuned," he said. And his approach? Unchanged. "I'll try to bowl the same way in first-class as I have in Tests."

Switching gears isn't easy

He was candid about the challenge of stepping down from constant international cricket across all three formats into domestic redball. "When you're free, you should play domestic cricket," he advised—a wise note for any busy pro.

The bigger picture

Pakistan's Test side is reeling after a harsh 30-0 WTC series whitewash vs England, sitting 9th in the standings (2 wins from 9 games). Meanwhile, Shaheen remains ODI captain and was the leading wicket-taker at the recent Champions Cup, which he also captained to the title—7/36 in the final. A home triseries vs England and Sri Lanka follows, then Tests vs SL and NZ.

The melody is tuning again. Will Shaheen bring Pakistan's Test innings back to its former glory? 🎶

Source: NDTV (syndicated)

Source: NDTV Sports