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Pakistan National Cricket Team all-rounder Khushdil Shah has threatened to leave Pakistan cricket if he cannot make a comeback to the national side despite good performances in domestic cricket and also in international cricket. He last featured back in September 2025 during a T20I against the UAE. He was subsequently dropped from the national setup despite strong domestic performances.
Khushdil Shah has been annoyed with the treatment he has been receiving from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Previously, he voiced his frustration against PCB during April 2026 after starring in Karachi Kings' five-wicket victory over defending champions Lahore Qalandars during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026.
Khushdil Shah voice out his frustration after repeated snubs
While speaking on a recent podcast along with his teammate Abbas Afridi, Khushdil Shah pointed out his domestic performances and also mentioned that no other Pakistani batter has been able to score more runs than him while batting at No.5 or lower; all the batters ahead of him are top-order batters.
“I’m the only player in Pakistan who has scored 800 runs, 700 runs, and consistently made big scores while batting at No. 5, 6, and 7. No other batsman has achieved those numbers from those positions. All the batsmen ahead of me bat in the top order,” he said.
Will Khushdil Shah leave Pakistan?
Afridi then stopped his teammate and revealed a personal conversation he recently had with Khushdil. The former stated that Khushdil said that a few months back the latter informed Afridi about his possibly leaving Pakistan cricket.
“I’m interrupting because he told me the other day, ‘I only have three or four months left. If I do something now, then it’s okay; otherwise, I’ll have to leave Pakistan,” he quoted Khushdil as saying.
The host felt that all of Khushdil’s words came out of anger and frustration. But the Pakistan all-rounder stated that it is not about being emotional, as he said it from his heart, as he believes that the PCB should not be against him.
“No, it’s not about being emotional. Whatever is in my heart comes out through my words. If people don’t like me, that’s fine, but they shouldn’t be unfair to me,” Khushdil said.
Khushdil Shah's career
Khushdil Shah was known to be one of the finest power hitters for Pakistan cricket and came through the ranks of domestic formats to international cricket in 2019. He has featured in the Men in Green colours in 38 T20Is, scoring 434 runs at an average of 17.36 with a strike rate of 104.07.
In One-Day Internationals (ODIs), he has played in 15 matches, scoring 328 runs at an average of 32.80 and a strike rate of 98.20, including one half-century, with a highest score of 69.
Despite a decent average in ODI cricket, he has not been a regular in the middle order or in the squad as well. He was Pakistan’s highest run-scorer during the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy on home soil. However, Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-finals and finished bottom.
