LAHORE: Paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi and spinner Sajid Khan were notable absentees from Pakistan’s Test squad for their upcoming series against South Africa, as the country’s cricket board announced it on Wednesday.

Shaheen’s exclusion suggests the left-armer has all but lost his status as Pakistan’s pace spearhead, with medium pacers Moha­mmad Abbas, Mir Hamza and Khurram Shahzad selected over him along with Naseem Shah.

De facto chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s men’s selection committee Aaqib Javed said leaving Shaheen out from the two-Test series was a “strategic decision to ensure he remains physically and mentally fresh” for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy.

The pacer, who also missed Pakistan’s last two Test matches, therefore, is part of the national roster for the three One-day Internationals and as many T20Is against the South Africans.

Sajid, who was crucial in Pakistan 2-1 Test win over England in spin-friendly pitches at home in October, has lost his place owing to the selectors’ “horses for courses” policy, given Johannesburg and Cape Town’s — the venues for the Test matches — pace-conducive conditions, de facto head of selection committee Aaqib Javed said in the PCB statement.

Aaqib added that dropping Sajid was “an extremely tough and difficult decision”. Abbas, who last featured for Pakistan in a Test match in August 2021, has been picked at the expense of the off-break bowler after claiming 31 wickets in five Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches this season.

“… considering the pace-friendly conditions at Centurion and in Cape Town, we opted for Mohammad Abbas instead, who is an outstanding exponent of seam bowling,” said Aaqib.

Left-arm spinner Noman Ali, who was Sajid’s partner in crime during the England series, is the only specialist spinner in the Shan Masood-led Pakistan squad for the South Africa Tests.

Babar Azam also returned to the Test fore after being dropped for the last two Tests against England. Kamran Ghulam, who hit a century in the second Test against England has been retained while promising young batter Haseebullah is also part of the red-ball squad.

“The Test series against South Africa will be highly competitive, but we are confident in our team’s ability to secure a historic series win,” said Aaqib.

SUFIYAN EARNS ODI CALL-UP

Chinaman bowler Sufiyan Moqim has earned his maiden call-up to the Pakistan ODI squad after taking eight wickets in two T20’s in the ongoing series against Zimbabwe.

The 25-year-old broke former pacer Umar Gul’s record of the best bowling figures in a T20I match when he registered figures of 5-3 in the second T20 on Tuesday.

He is part of a one-day squad full of young, less-experienced players including spin partner Abrar Ahmed, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan and Haseebullah.

Captain Mohammad Rizwan, Babar, Abdullah Shafique, Haris Rauf, Naseem, Salman Ali Agha and Shaheen make up the seasoned core of the 50-over side, as Pakistan figure out their best combination ahead of the Champions Trophy.

Once Pakistan mainstay remains out of white-ball reckoning following his fall-out with the PCB after a controversial statement on social media platform X.

Other reasons, however, were cited for his absence.

“… Fakhar Zaman was not considered as he is yet to regain form and match fitness,” Aaqib noted. “Our aim is to maintain consistency in ODI selections as part of our ICC Champions Trophy 2025 preparations, while also giving emerging talent opportunities in T20Is alongside experienced players.”

The T20I squad includes the likes of Omair Bin Yousuf, Jahandad Khan and Abbas Afridi — with all three not part of the ODI team.

“Our focus in ODIs is to continue building momentum ahead of the Champions Trophy, while the T20I series provides a platform to blend experience with emerging talent,” the PCB statement quoted Aaqib as saying.

The T20I squad will depart for South Africa on Friday, after Thursday’s third T20I against Zimbabwe, while the ODI and Test players will depart for Johannesburg on December 13.

Pakistan’s red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie will also arrive in Johannesburg on the same day to supervise the pre-Test series camp.

Pakistan squads:

Tests: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah (wicket-keeper), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha

ODIs: Mohammad Rizwan (captain & wicket-keeper), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan (wicket-keeper)

T20Is: Mohammad Rizwan (captain & wicket-keeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan (wicket-keeper)

Schedule:

Dec 10: First T20I, Durban

Dec 13: Second T20I, Centurion

Dec 14: Third T20I, Johannesburg

Dec 17: First ODI, Paarl

Dec 19: Second ODI, Cape Town

Dec 22: Third ODI, Johannesburg

Dec 26-30: First Test, Centurion

Jan 3-7: Second Test, Cape Town

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2024