According to sources, a selector’s authoritative behavior has caused resentment among players.
Despite being in excellent form, Shaheen Shah Afridi was not picked in Pakistan’s Test team for the series against South Africa. Afridi had delivered a stellar performance in the previous ODI series, taking the most wickets (7) and playing a vital part in Pakistan’s triumph.
According to sources, a selector called Shaheen before the squad announcement and told him to play in a four-day match. Due to various circumstances, Afridi was unable to comply. This was seen as “disobedience,” resulting in his expulsion from the Test squad. Interestingly, a similar direction was given to Babar Azam, who did not obey it but was still a member of the team.
According to sources, a selector’s authoritative behavior has caused resentment among players. The selector, who recently retired, supposedly maintains a commanding presence even with former teammates.
According to close sources, Afridi is still committed to playing red ball cricket and was profoundly saddened by his absence from the South Africa Test squad. After the ODI series, before departing home, Afridi reportedly volunteered to stay for the Test matches if team management requested, but no one took the initiative to keep him.
The absence of a left-arm fast bowler was noticeable in the Centurion Test against South Africa. Mir Hamza, another left-arm fast bowler, was not one of the four selected pacers.
In an unexpected turn of events, Afridi was dropped from the Test squad on the pretense of workload management but was allowed to play in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). He will represent Fortune Barishal in the BPL beginning December 30, with a NOC good until January 15. Afridi is expected to play five matches in the competition.
