Shaheen's tone suggested he wasn't fully buying PCB's narrative.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently announced the team for the upcoming two-match PAK vs WI Test series. Interestingly, premier pacer Shaheen Afridi was excluded from the 15-man squad.
Not only that, Shaheen’s name was nowhere to be found for the previous South Africa Tests either. These absences have raised speculations with Shaheen’s recent response at a press conference adding more fuel to it.
During the PSL 2025 draft held yesterday (January 13), Shaheen was quizzed about his recent exclusions and his response grabbed everyone’s attention as the video went increasingly viral.
When a reporter inquired about his absence from the South Africa and West Indies Test series, Shaheen gave a cryptic reply with a wry smile.
The reporter questioned, “Shaheen, you were given rest during the South Africa Test series, and you’re not part of the West Indies series either.”
The demeanour and tone of the left-arm speedster suggested that he wasn’t fully buying the ‘rest’ narrative provided by the Pakistan management.
He responded with a sarcastic laugh and added, “I was given rest? That’s a good question.”
Check the video of Shaheen’s response below.
After playing in the opening Test of the England series in October of the previous year, Shaheen Afridi was absent for the subsequent games of the series. Since then, he has not featured in any red-ball game for Pakistan.
The PCB justified Shaheen’s absence by citing workload management but the pacer’s recent response hints at all’s not well between both the parties.
Currently, with his Test career paused, Afridi will be concentrating on the upcoming PSL 2025. As the captain of Lahore Qalandars, he will be determined to have a strong presence in the tournament, both as a bowler and as a leader. The next edition of the PSL is set to run from April 8 to May 19.
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