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Pakistan National Cricket Team's premier pace bowler Shaheen Afridi is confirmed to make his return to first-class cricket. He will mark his return to FC after nearly seven years. To rejuvenate his form, Shaheen Afridi is set to play in First-Class cricket for the Khan Research Laboratories team for the 2026-27 men's domestic season.
After a string of underwhelming outings for the national side across the formats, the fast bowler will play in domestic cricket to find his form as well as to regain his pace. After returning from a recent injury setback, there was a significant drop in his pace.
Shaheen Afridi took 8/39 for Khan Research Laboratories
The left-arm pacer's return to First-Class cricket came nearly a decade after his memorable first-class debut. Shaheen Afridi caught attention in his very first FC cricket stint when he took second-innings 8 for 39 against Rawalpindi, for the Khan Research Laboratories cricket team. The spell was the key moment that took him to national contention and then to selection.
He was selected for Pakistan's Test team, backed by three first-class matches. The Pakistan Super League (PSL) contract was only the cherry on top of the rapid rise of Shaheen Afridi. Afridi's last domestic first-class match in Pakistan was in 2019 last domestic first-class match in Pakistan was in 2019 and his Test debut was in 2018 against the New Zealand National Cricket Team.
Shaheen Afridi's future in Test cricket under scrutiny
Shaheen Afridi's return to FC cricket comes with heavy scrutiny as he lacked sharpness when he last featured in the longest format of the game for the Men in Green. Aaqib Javed, PCB's director of high performance,e raised concerns over the bowler's willingness to play in the format. "Shaheen is an excellent bowler, er but at times a player has to pick which format he wants to play," he said.
Afridi has so far picked 126 Test wickets at 28.13 for the Pakistan cricket team, while his last have come over nine Tests at 40.11 and a strike rate of 67.6. Due to the dip in form in the Whites, the Pakistan ODI captain was axed for the tours of West Indies and England after being dropped for the second Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet in May. In the last couple of years, there were multiple occasions when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) dropped the talented fast bowler from the team only because of his poor form.
PCB set clear guidelines for all of their players
He was released from the squad after the first Rawalpindi Test against Bangladesh in 2024, and Pakistan's defeat in Multan in the first of the three Tests. Afridi was also ignored for Pakistan's Test series against South Africa during the 2024-25 session as well.
Going back to first-class cricket could help Afridi regain his bowling form. In another possibility, it is also believed that the seamer is heading towards FC cricket again to fulfill the criteria set by PCB. According to PCB's recent guidelines, players are required to play at least six and four first-class matches, respectively, to stay relevant in the A (Test) and AB (Test and ODI) categories.
