Sarfaraz Ahmed praises Shaheen Afridi's sacking as Pakistan Test vice-captain, applauds Saud Shakeel's appointment

Senior Pakistan National Cricket Team player Sarfaraz Ahmed was happy with young batter Saud Shakeel getting vice-captaincy of the Test team. He said that it's a commendable initiative by the Pakistan Cricket Board to groom the young player for the future.

Pakistan National Cricket Team are all set to host Bangladesh National Cricket Team for the two-match Test series. It will be for the first time they they will be seen in action after the T20 World Cup 2024 and for the first time since January, they will be locking horns in the longest format of the game.

The first game of the Test series between Pakistan and Bangladesh is all set to be played in Rawalpindi from 21st August. After that, it will be time for the second match, which will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi from 30th August. Both the games will be part of the ICC World Test Championship as well.

Pakistan National Cricket Team recently announced their squad for the series. There were some tough calls being taken as a few of the key players were dropped from the team and some fresh faces were included, keeping in mind the future of the Test side.

In another big development, Shaheen Afridi was sacked as the vice-captain of the team, and young batter Saud Shakeel was given the role. The left-hander has been one of the consistent performers for the team in the longest format of the game, and him getting the role depicts that PCB wants to groom him for the future.

Sarfaraz Ahmed, who is also in the 17-member squad, congratulated Saud Shakeel for getting the vice-captaincy of the Test team. He believes that the PCB took a good step in grooming the batter, pointing out Saud's achievement as captain at the junior level. Speaking to reporters, he said:

"First of all, congratulations to Saud. To be vice-captain of the national team is a huge honour. It’s a commendable initiative by the cricket board to groom such a junior player who has been leading at lower levels. Saud has been captaining since the U-19 level and has led Sindh to the T20 championship title," Sarfaraz Ahmed said.

Saud Shakeel made his Test debut in 2022 in a game against England, and since then, he has been performing well for the team. In the 10 Tests so far he has scored 967 runs at an average of 60.44, including two centuries.

It’s a positive initiative that domestic performers and Pakistan Shaheens are getting opportunities - Sarfaraz Ahmed

Sarfaraz Ahmed further claimed that picking domestic players in the teams is a good initiative by the PCB to value domestic performers. Explaining about the same, he said:

"It’s a positive initiative that domestic performers and Pakistan Shaheens are getting opportunities. Some players have already made their place, and we hope that more will get their chance in the future. It’s a good sign that domestic performers are being valued and becoming part of Pakistan’s [senior] team," said Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Imam-Ul-Haq, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Noman Ali, and Sajid Khan have dropped from the Pakistan team. The management has included young faces in the team in Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, and Mohammad Huraira.