Former captain questions Shaheen Afridi's role after squad exclusion for New Zealand tour

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has voiced concerns over the exclusion of left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi from the national white-ball squad for the upcoming New Zealand tour.

During a recent interview, Hafeez criticised the selection inconsistency, highlighting that Afridi was first removed from the Test squad and has now been left out of the ODI squad too.

While acknowledging that Afridi’s recent performances have not met expectations, Hafeez argued that sidelining him entirely is not the right approach.

“First, Shaheen Afridi is dropped from the Test squad, and the reason given is that he is being rested. But Shaheen himself says, ‘I am not resting; I have been dropped.’ Yes, he hasn’t been performing well in ODIs, and failure is a different issue, but this is not the right approach," said Hafeez.

"First, he was removed from Tests, then from ODIs—so what exactly is Shaheen Afridi’s role now?" he added.

It is pertinent to mention that Afridi’s performances in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 were below expectations. He struggled in both group-stage matches, conceding 68 runs in 10 overs without taking a wicket at an economy rate of 6.80 against New Zealand in Karachi. 

His performance against India in Dubai was also underwhelming, as he bowled eight overs, giving away 72 runs while taking two wickets at an economy rate of 9.25.

For the unversed, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the national squad for the upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand, which is set to begin later this month. 

The series will consist of five T20 Internationals (T20Is) followed by three One Day Internationals (ODIs), running from March 16 to April 5.

Several senior players, including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, have been left out of the T20I squad, while Afridi and Haris Rauf have also been excluded from the ODI squad.

Pakistan's ODI Squad Against New Zealand:

Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir.

Pakistan's T20I Squad Against New Zealand:

Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousaf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan.