"I will tell you why Shaheen was removed" - Former Pakistan cricketer makes shocking claim over Afridi's exclusion for South Africa Tests
Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali has made a shocking claim that Shaheen Afridi has been dropped from the Test side for the series against South Africa due to a viral video. He was referring to the clip from Pakistan's first Test against Bangladesh in which Afridi was seen removing captain Shan Masood's hand from his shoulder during a team huddle.
While former skipper Babar Azam and young pacer Naseem Shah were picked in the Test squad for the forthcoming multi-format tour of South Africa, there was no place for Afridi in the red-ball squad.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, former Pakistan batter Basit criticized the decision of not picking the senior left-arm pacer in the Test team. He also alleged the reason for him being sacked was a non-cricketing one.
"Shaheen Afridi was asked to bowl on dead pitches, and he couldn't perform so what about Naseem Shah's performance? In the ODI series that Pakistan won against Australia, what did Naseem Shah do? I will tell you why Shaheen was removed. You must remember a video where Shan put a hand on Shaheen's shoulder, and he removed it," Basit was quoted as saying by ANI.
Back in September, Masood has dismissed rumors of a rift with Afridi. Reacting to the controversy over the viral video, he clarified that the fast bowler politely removed his hand from his shoulder as it was sore after he was hit by a ball while batting in Pakistan's innings.
Aqib Javed explains Shaheen Afridi’s exclusion from the Test squad for the South Africa series
In an official statement released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Aqib Javed, a member of the selection committee and interim white-ball head coach, explained the decision to leave Afridi from the Test squad. He commented:
“Shaheen Shah Afridi’s exclusion from the Test squad is a strategic decision to ensure he remains physically and mentally fresh for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Similarly, Fakhar Zaman was not considered as he is yet to regain form and match fitness."
“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. For Tests, we have focused on assembling a squad that can adapt to challenging conditions and consistently compete at the highest level," the former pacer added.
Pakistan will play two Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is in South Africa from December 10 to January 7. The tour will begin with the opening T20I in Durban.