Test Return: Pakistan’s pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi is on his approach to making a notable comeback to Test cricket, with a two-match Test series in Sri Lanka scheduled to begin on July 16 as a possible opportunity to continue his services for Pakistan in the red-ball format.
For Shaheen, 2022 was a rollercoaster ride. He had a knee ligament injury in July of last year and was unable to compete in the Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates. In the absence of their premier bowler, Pakistan reached the continental finals but was defeated by the Dasun Shanaka-led team by 23 runs.
Shaheen was in a race against time to achieve full health before the T20 World Cup in Australia, and he put himself through a gruelling conditioning regimen to do so. Pakistan hosted England in a seven-match T20I series at home, and Shaheen did not appear in a single game for the Green Brigade.
He was certified fit for the T20 World Cup in time and finished as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker for the 2009 T20 World Champions. He took 11 wickets in seven games with an economy of 6.15. Unfortunately for him, the injury reappeared when attempting a catch in the last match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
He couldn’t play much cricket after that and was lacking in match practise ahead of the Pakistan Super League 2023. He guided his side, the Lahore Qalandars, to victory in the season. Shaheen took 19 wickets in the 12 games he participated during the tournament.
With a Test return in sight, Shaheen may have to toil hard on the placid surfaces in Sri Lanka, and Pakistan’s top selector Haroon Rasheed has also stated that the 23-year-old bowler requires more game time after returning from injury.
“Before we make any kind of workload decision, we have a whole medical panel for that, and then a player’s personal preference is also taken into account. Shaheen has been out of action for the past year and a half, so when a player returns from injury, he needs more active cricket, not nets. You may simply bowl in the nets. However, match fitness is a different matter,” Rasheed told Cricket Pakistan.
“We have also asked the county to allow Shaheen to play a three-day match so that he can bowl more overs. After considering all of these elements, we came to a unanimous conclusion about his participation in the team. We did everything after extensive investigation, but it doesn’t imply we don’t consider workload. Players are inducted after a thorough evaluation of workload management,” he said.
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