Shaheen Afridi has been out of the Pakistan Test team [Source: AFP]Once touted as the future of Pakistan cricket, Shaheen Afridi’s downfall needs to be studied. From his debut up until 2022 mid, Shaheen was one of the best fast bowlers in the world, and he had the ability to swing the ball at a rapid pace.His pace dropped considerably, and injuries hampered his career as the Pakistan pacer was dropped from the Test side for the West Indies and England tour. In his absence, Pakistan drew the away series against the West Indies, and has already lost two Tests against England.Shaheen plans Pakistan Test return with strong performance in domestic cricketThe left-arm pacer has a golden chance to make a comeback into the Test team, and the road begins with the President’s Trophy 2026. Interestingly, Shaheen will play a domestic game after seven years, and it could be a make-or-break tournament for him."When I first played a first-class match in 2017 for KRL, that was quite a good debut. Red-ball cricket is always my first priority. I've always loved it. I didn't get enough time to play because of international cricket, but I haven't been playing much cricket the last couple of months. So it's an opportunity to play red-ball cricket," ESPNcricinfo reported Afridi as saying ahead of the President's Trophy."I learned a lot from my elder brother Riaz Afridi, because he's played a lot of first-class cricket. In the longer format, the longer you spend time on the ground, the better it is for your confidence, and your lines and lengths get fine-tuned,” he added.Why was Shaheen Afridi dropped from Tests?Experts in Pakistan believed that Shaheen Afridi could be the next Wasim Akram, and the pacer had all the tools to succeed. He had the pace; he could swing the ball both ways, but a knee injury in 2022 changed the course of his career.Also Read: Shaheen Afridi Outrightly Rejects Babar Azam's ODI Captaincy ReturnFrom his debut till 2022, Shaheen played 25 Tests and scalped 99 wickets, with an average of 24.87 and a strike rate of 49.07.However, the pacer witnessed a decline in numbers, and since 2023, he has only played in nine Test matches and has taken just 27 wickets, with an average of 40.11 and a strike rate of 67.63.Shaheen hardly produced any match-winning spells, and ahead of the West Indies tour, PCB decided to remove him from the red-ball side, with youngsters preferred over him.Does Shaheen deserve a place in the Test team?On paper, Shaheen’s stock has fallen, and the pacer has to climb the ladder for PCB to consider him in the Test setup once again. On-field numbers and disciplinary issues have taken a hit on Shaheen’s red-ball career, and moreover, there are at least four pacers who are ahead of him in the pecking order.In the ongoing England vs Pakistan Test series, Mohammad Abbas has been the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan , followed by Mohammad Ali. Moreover, there is Khurram Shahzad in the scheme of things, and the emergence of Razaullah, the hard-hitting all-rounder, has made things complicated for Shaheen.The left-arm pacer needs to deliver the goods in the President’s Trophy, and even that might not be enough to warrant him a place in Pakistan’s Test setup, considering the team already has four quality pacers available.Also Read: Mohammed Shami’s Case for One Final India Comeback
