Basit Ali questions Shaheen Afridi’s absence from Pakistan’s T20I squad

KARACHI: Former cricketer Basit Ali on Tuesday, expressed dissatisfaction over left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi’s exclusion from the Pakistan squad for the upcoming three-match away series against Bangladesh.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), earlier today, unveiled a 15-member squad for the series under the leadership of all-rounder Salman Ali Agha.

Among notable absentees were the senior trio of Shaheen, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, raising doubts about their future in the national team’s T20I setup.

Meanwhile, Shaheen’s exclusion did not sit well with Basit, who questioned the selection process which excluded the pacer from the contingent.

“Why is he not in the team?” Basit wrote on X, formerly Twitter, coupled with a picture of Shaheen Shah Afridi.

His last T20I appearance came in March this year when Pakistan toured New Zealand for a five-match series.

For the unversed, Pakistan will tour Bangladesh for three T20Is, scheduled to be played on July 20, 22 and 24 respectively Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.

Ahead of their departure, the 15-member Pakistan squad, alongside five additional national cricketers will partake in the white-ball and pre-series camp at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi from July 9 to 15.

The five additional players include Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim Jr.

The players called up for the camp will report in Karachi later today.

“Members of Pakistan’s T20I squad will assemble in Karachi on Tuesday, while the additional players for the white-ball camp will also report the same day,” the PCB said in a statement.

Pakistan squad for Bangladesh T20I series:

Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza and Sufiyan Muqeem.

Five players called up for the camp: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Series schedule in Bangladesh

16 July – Pakistan men’s team arrival

20 July – First T20I at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (6pm local time)

22 July – Second T20I at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (6pm local time)

24 July – Third T20I at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (6pm local time)