The Pakistan selectors overlooked ace seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi for the two-match home Test series against West Indies, with head coach and former pacer Aaqib Javed explaining his omission. A force to reckon with across formats, Afridi last played a Test in October 2024 (against England in Multan), when Pakistan conceded 823 runs in an innings, missing all five-day action since.

Advertisment

Taking a jibe at his fitness, Javed said if Afridi can feature in franchise-based leagues worldwide, he can also play four-day matches to ensure his stamina levels do not drop. Speaking on the sidelines of the second Test in Multan, Javed said, "If you're playing all three formats, then in one series you're bowling in Tests, where you need to bowl 25-30 overs, and then for three months, you're not playing any four-day games. 

This is why fast bowlers' energy levels drop when you need them to bowl to the tail-enders after sending down 20-25 overs in a day," he said, as quoted by the Times of India (TOI).

Also read | IND vs ENG 2nd T20I: Varun attributes domestic cricket for his T20I career boom

Advertisment

Had Afridi played ahead of Mohammad Abbas in the Cape Town Test (against South Africa last month), Pakistan wouldn’t have come that close to winning, which they didn’t though, added Javed. 

"If Shaheen played in Cape Town, Mohammad Abbas would not have played. Abbas was playing after three years, and because of him, the match reached an interesting end. If they can play leagues before Test matches, they also need to play four-day cricket to ensure their stamina is of that level."

Javed hits back at critics

Advertisment

Though Pakistan never came close to fighting for a spot in the current World Test Championship (WTC) Final, reeling in the bottom half of the table, they have begun putting efforts in the right direction to claim their maiden Test title. They did what most teams from the sub-continent have been doing for the past decade - preparing pitches to their advantage.

Following losing the Multan Test (to England) by an innings, Pakistan prepared dust bowls for the remaining two matches in that series, winning both and claiming the series. Fast forward to January 2025, they did the same for the home series against West Indies, having won the first Test convincingly.

"Why is it that if fast bowlers take wickets, [people say] Test cricket is moving forward, and if spinners take wickets, Test cricket's going backwards?" Aaqib said.

"I don't understand this. When you go to Australia and England, they prepare pitches how they like. So, if we prepare turning wickets and spinners take wickets, what is the problem?

"Of course, we were right to prepare a spin pitch [in the first Test] against West Indies. Their batters are not as proficient against spin when compared to fast bowling. I also want to address concerns about where our Test cricket is going. If we had taken these decisions earlier, then we would have been in the race for the WTC [final]. The rule of Test cricket is to win at home. If you win at home and you win two to three Tests away, you become a strong candidate for the final,” he added.

Meanwhile, Noman Ali created history on day one of the second Test, becoming the first Pakistani spinner to pick a Test hat-trick. He picked six wickets in the first innings, wrapping the visitors on 163 inside two sessions. 

(With inputs from agencies)