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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) axed multiple star players from their Test team, which lost against Bangladesh 0-2. On Sunday, the board announced squads for their upcoming Test series against West Indies and England, respectively.
Star pacer Shaheen Afridi is among the notable absentees in the newly selected team for the longest format of the game. Ahead of the Tests, the selectors scrapped the frontline bowlers from the team who represented the national team during the Test series against Bangladesh.
Why has PCB dropped Shaheen Afridi from the Tests?
Snubbing Shaheen Afridi is a big deal for the selectors, as the seamer has been serving the team for a long time and has a reputation. When the reporters asked the selectors of the national cricket team the reason for dropping Shaheen Afridi from the team, Aaqib Javed mentioned that the experienced fast bowler lacked significant pace during the team's previous outing, which forced the selectors to snub the premier bowler from the side.
"We are concerned with the pace of our fast bowlers. It is unacceptable that their speeds drop to 126kph on the second or third day of a Test, which was the case in Bangladesh. We have brought in Ubaid Shah for that purpose, and we have made these changes based on evidence, which included the use of speed guns, that we gathered over the recent camp," Aaqib Javed, selector and the director of high performance, said.
"We feel we need pace for the next two series, and these bowlers, who have been selected for the next five Tests, also have to cement their places with performances. This (selection) is about the conditions," he added.
We do not have the authority to make decisions regarding anyone's career; we felt a need for more pace - Aqib Javed on Shaheen Afridi being dropped
— Khel Shel (@khelshel) July 5, 2026
VC: PCB#Cricket | #Pakistan | #AqibJaved | #ShaheenAfridi | #Lahore pic.twitter.com/dnjkV91nWg
Ubaid Shah: An emerging seamer from Pakistan
Along with Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas, and Khurram Shahzad are the other bowlers who lacked a proper pacer during the two-match Test series against Bangladesh. While Abbas and Shahzad remain part of the Test set-up, the selectors expressed high hopes for Ubaid Shah.
Ubaid Shah, a 20-year-old right-arm seamer, has taken 72 first-class wickets in 16 matches since making his debut in October 2024. Noman Ali, a veteran spinner, has also dropped from the squad as he did not do enough to meet expectations in the previous assignments.
Babar Azam is the captain of the team
Babar Azam retained his place in the Test team as the captain. The selectors have picked Babar as the captain of the team, replacing Shan Masood, who had led the team since December 2024. Masood has been dropped from the leadership role but remains in the team as a batter.
Ahead of the Bangladesh series, Shaheen Afridi said that playing in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) was their dream. Currently, the team is positioned at ninth place in the nine-team points table as they are yet to open their points tally in the ongoing cycle of the Test Championship.
Pakistan cricket team will fly to the Caribbean islands in mid-July to face West Indies for a two-match Test series, followed by 3-match Test series against England.
