Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle has shared his thoughts on the surprise exclusion of vice-captain Shaheen Shah Afridi by Pakistan from their playing XI for the third and final Test against Australia.
Bhogle called it a surprise exclusion naming him (Shaheen Shah Afridi) the key bowler of the Pakistan bowling lineup.
“Big call to be without Shaheen Afridi for the Sydney Test. I thought Pakistan’s key bowlers would be Shaheen and Abrar but look a bit thin without them. Excited to see Saim Ayub. I’ve heard a lot about him,” Bhogle wrote on X.
Big call to be without Shaheen Afridi for the Sydney Test. I thought Pakistan’s key bowlers would be Shaheen and Abrar but looks a bit thin without them. Excited to see Saim Ayub. I’ve heard a lot about him.— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 2, 2024
Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan announced their Playing XI for the third and final Test against Australia with left-handed batter Saim Ayub set to make his debut.
Opener Imam-ul-Haq and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi are two major absentees with 21-year-old Saim and 30-year-old Sajid Khan drafted in their places.
Pakistan captain Shan Masood said Afridi has been rested to manage his workload. “Shaheen Afridi has bowled most overs in world cricket in recent times. He gives his 150% in the training sessions as well. He keeps motivating his teammates. He is our main player. We’ll make sure we look after Shaheen Afridi really well,” said Masood.
Saim, who made his T20I debut in March last year comes to the team on the back of impressive List A performances for Karachi. This will be his first Test match. In the eight T20Is he has played so far, he has scored 123 runs at an average of 17.57.
After a gap of nearly two years, Sajid returned to the Test arena, having last played during Australia’s 2022 tour of Pakistan. He has a decent record in Tests with 22 wickets in seven matches.
Earlier on Tuesday, Australia revealed their playing XI for the Sydney Test against Pakistan, beginning on Wednesday, with the skipper confirming no changes.
The third Test will be played in Sydney from January 3 to 7. Australia have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series and are currently No.3 on the ICC World Test Championship table.
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