Table of Contents
The Pakistan national cricket team could be heading towards a major change, and the latest move by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has put star fast bowler Shaheen Afridi in the spotlight. The left-arm pacer has not been included in the PCB's upcoming red-ball camp, which sparked speculations about his future in Test cricket.
Shaheen Afridi has been one of Pakistan's biggest match-winners in Test cricket, and that’s why his absence from the red-ball camp has surprised many fans and cricket experts.
PCB announces separate Red-Ball and White-Ball camps
On Sunday, June 7, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced two separate camps at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to prepare players for upcoming international and domestic assignments. In total, 49 players have been selected across both white-ball and red-ball camps.
The red-ball camp will run from June 8 to July 10, while the white-ball camp will begin on June 15, with 22 and 27 players taking part, respectively. Players selected for these camps will work closely with national coaches, NCA coaches, and the PCB's medical and fitness staff.
NCA camps aimed at improving skills, fitness and match readiness
The PCB said in an official media release: “The players who were part of the recently concluded ODI series against Australia and have been selected for the Red-Ball Camp will join the camp from 15 June. The NCA White-Ball Camp will commence on Monday, 15 June, and continue until Friday, 18 September. Twenty-seven players will take part in the camp.
Both camps have been devised to prepare players for upcoming international and domestic events. During the camps, the players will work with national and NCA coaches alongside PCB medical staff on their skills and fitness. The players will also have one-on-one sessions with coaches to better understand the skills and fitness requirements at the international level.”
Shaheen Afridi ignored for Red-Ball Camp
The biggest talking point from the announcement was Shaheen Afridi's absence from the red-ball camp. Despite being one of Pakistan's most experienced fast bowlers, Afridi was overlooked for the long-format camp, but he is part of the white-ball camp that has raised plenty of questions.
However, this move could be part of the workload management, as Shaheen Afridi is the white-ball captain and many big events are lined up in the coming months, including the Asian Games 2026 and ICC World Cup 2027. So, there is a possibility that Shaheen was asked to focus on white-ball cricket.
Players selected for the red-ball camp: Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Abrar Ahmed, Ali Usman, Amad Butt, Azan Awais, Babar Azam, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shehzad, Saqib Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shahzad Gul, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Obaid Shah, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shan Masood.
Players selected for the white-ball camp: Abdul Samad, Abdul Subhan, Ahmed Daniyal, Sameer Minhas, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Farhan Yousaf, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Khawaja Muhammad Nafay, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Rohail Nazir, Saad Baig, Saad Masood, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shamyl Hussain, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan.
