He is added to the squad for a tactical reason.
Pakistan embarked on their World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle at home with a two-match Test series against the defending champions, South Africa. The 18-member squad announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) included a surprise selection of a left-arm orthodox spinner, Asif Afridi. The 38-year-old will play his maiden international match in the PAK vs SA 2nd Test.
Pakistan have won the toss and opted to bat first. With the pitch expected to favour spinners again, they have brought another spinner into the XI.
Pakistan (Playing XI): Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood(c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Salman Agha, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Asif Afridi
South Africa (Playing XI): Aiden Markram(c), Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Kyle Verreynne(w), Senuran Muthusamy, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada
Like most athletes, Asif’s journey wasn’t a straightforward one. His journey is one of grind, redemption, and patience. The left-arm orthodox spinner has been a mainstay in the domestic circuit since making his first-class debut for Abbottabad in 2009. Over the years, the southpaw has also established himself as a useful lower-order batter, quietly building his reputation as a bowling all-rounder.
In 57 First-Class matches, Asif has snared 198 scalps at a staggering average of 25.49, including 13 five-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket match hauls. In the last season of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premium red-ball tournament, he claimed nine wickets in four outings, averaging 21.44. He carried the momentum in the President’s Trophy Grade-1, taking 18 wickets from six games at 25.16.
Asif’s success isn’t limited to one format. He has also featured in 60 List A and 85 T20 games, bagging 83 and 78 wickets, respectively. The spinner made his Pakistan Super League (PSL) debut in 2022 for Multan Sultans, where he picked up eight wickets in just five games. After switching to Lahore Qalandars for PSL 2025, the spinner took seven wickets in nine games at an exceptional economy rate of 7.41.
His 2022 performances earned him a maiden international call-up for the white-ball series against Australia. But the PCB banned Asif Afridi for two years for failing to report a corrupt approach. The ban, however, was reduced to one year for good cooperation with the investigation.
| Asif Afridi Career Record | ||||||
| Format | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy | 5 wicket hauls | 10 wicket hauls |
| First-class | 57 | 198 | 25.49 | 2.92 | 13 | 2 |
| List A | 60 | 83 | 29.81 | 4.64 | 2 | 0 |
| T20s | 85 | 78 | 23.2 | 6.97 | 1 | 0 |
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Pakistan have recently struggled in Tests at home, on flat and lifeless pitches. Their maiden series loss to Bangladesh, followed by a defeat in the first of the three Tests against England, prompted a tactical shift. To reclaim the home dominance, the Shan Masood-led side prepared rank turners for the two matches in Lahore and Rawalpindi by drying out the surfaces, where 29 off 31 wickets fell to spin. The strategy paid off, as Pakistan went on to win the remaining two Tests.
In the last Test against South Africa, 30 wickets fell to spin. The hosts went on to win by 93 runs. Noman Ali won the Player of the Match award for taking 10 wickets across two innings.
The pitch conditions, coupled with his outstanding form with the ball in domestic cricket, earned Asif Afridi a maiden Test call-up. He joins a strong spin quartet featuring the 38-year-old Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Abrar Ahmed, and part-timer Salman Agha.
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