This week marks the start of Shaheen Afridi first participation in the Lanka Premier League. The fast bowler has been given a NOC to compete in the event, the PCB announced to Cricinfo. He’ll be a member of the Kandy Royals.
Shaheen Afridi lacklustre performance in the format led to his exclusion from Pakistan’s selections for the Test matches against the West Indies and England earlier this month. Aaqib Javed, Pakistan’s selector and high-performance director, stated earlier this month that “a player has to pick which format he wants to play,” suggesting that the 26-year-old is more likely to play white-ball cricket. The LPL and the Tests against the West Indies clash.
Shaheen Afridi was left out of the second Test match against Bangladesh in Sylhet and was recently named in the ongoing white-ball camp at the National Cricket Academy, even though the red-ball session was held concurrently.
Shaheen Afridi led Pakistan to a 2-1 series victory over Australia at home last month after being selected Pakistan’s ODI captain last year. Along with Nathan Ellis and left-arm orthodox Arafat Minhas, who made his debut in the first of the three ODIs, he shared the lead in wicket-taking with seven wickets at 12.14 runs each.
Shaheen Afridi will play in an international T20 league for the second time in the past year.
He played for the Brisbane Heat in the most recent BBL. Despite taking just two wickets at an average of 76.50 in four games, he had a forgettable run. With 362 wickets at 20.99 and an economy rate of 7.97, Afridi is still in demand on the T20 circuit. In T20Is, he has taken 136 wickets at an average of 21.35 and an economy of 7.83, more than any bowler from Pakistan.
The LPL will take place from July 17 through August 8. On July 18, the Kandy Royals take on the Dambulla Sixers in their opening game.
