Shaheen Shah Afridi, the star speedster from Pakistan, has taken a calculated risk by being selected vice captain of the Test squad for the next series against Australia, which is a part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for 2023–25. During the visit, Pakistan will play three Test matches. The first match will take place at Optus Stadium in Perth from December 14–18. The Prime Minister’s XI and Pakistan played in Canberra on December 6 to launch the trip.
Shaheen Afridi has so far played for Pakistan in 27 Tests, 53 ODIs, and 52 T20Is, taking 105, 104, and 64 wickets in those matches.
Prior to this, the 23-year-old was named Pakistan’s T20 captain when Babar Azam resigned from the position in all game forms after a disappointing performance in the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India. Shan Masood, who was recently chosen as Pakistan’s captain in the game’s longest format, will have the fast bowler as his deputy.
Known for his deadly speed and swing, the left-arm fast bowler has been an invaluable member of the Pakistani side across all game formats. The child’s experience gives Pakistan’s leadership structure in the upcoming season much-needed depth.
Furthermore, Pakistan has a lot riding on them since they top the WTC 2023–25 points table following a series win against Sri Lanka in July of this year. The next series will be Australia’s second in this WTC cycle, and they are currently the world Test champions. After winning the Ashes series, they are losing.
The playing XI for the first Test between Australia and Pakistan is as follows:
Australia XI: Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, David Warner, Travis Head, and Mitch Marsh.
Pakistan XI: Agha Salman, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shahzad, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (C), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk).
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