Pakistan national cricket team fast bowler Shaheen Afridi is set to play in the 2026 Lanka Premier League after receiving a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to represent Kandy Royals.
The left-arm fast bowler will be taking part in the franchise tournament despite Pakistan’s ongoing Test season having been left out of the national team for the upcoming Test tours of the West Indies and England.
Shaheen Afridi was dropped from Pakistan Test team
Shaheen Afridi was one of the biggest omissions when Pakistan announced their squad for the two-Test series against West Indies and three-Test tour of England. The left-arm pacer was dropped along with Hasan Ali and veteran spinner Noman Ali after Pakistan’s disappointing 2-0 defeat against Bangladesh earlier this year.
Following concerns over the performance of the fast bowling unit, the selectors decided to overhaul the bowling attack. Pakistan are currently at the bottom of the World Test Championship standings with just one win from four matches, prompting the management to include new faces in the squad.
Chief selector and high performance director Aaqib Javed explained that the decision was based on evidence collected during the team’s recent camp, including speed-gun data, which showed that Pakistan’s fast bowlers were struggling to maintain their pace in Test matches.
The selectors recalled Mohammad Ali and Aamir Jamal, while Ubaid Shah was included in the Test squad for the first time along with left-arm spinner Ali Usman and batsman Awais Zafar.
Afridi was looking likely to be dropped even before the squad was announced after he was not included in Pakistan’s red-ball training camp at the National Cricket Academy. Since returning from a knee injury in 2023, the left-arm fast bowler has struggled to regain his best form in Test cricket. He has been able to take only 27 wickets in 16 innings at an average of 40.11 and his pace has also come under scrutiny.
Aaqib indicated that Pakistan’s new central contract system, which is based on formats, allows players to focus on the formats that best suit them. He described Shaheen Afridi as an excellent bowler but suggested that managing workload across all formats has become increasingly important.
Shaheen Afridi gets PCB approval to move to LPL amid Test season
Having not featured in Pakistan’s Test plans over the next two months, Shaheen Afridi has now been given permission by the PCB to participate in the Lanka Premier League.
The left-arm fast bowler has secured the NOC to join Kandy Royals for the 2026 edition of the tournament, which will allow him to remain active in competitive cricket while Pakistan is engaged in the red-ball season.
The move also fits into the PCB’s format-based plan. Since Shaheen Afridi is currently out of the Test set-up, the board has allowed him to play franchise cricket instead of remaining inactive during the long Test window.
The LPL has attracted a number of international players in recent seasons and Shaheen Afridi’s presence will further strengthen the Kandy Royals pace attack. It also gives Pakistan an opportunity to continue playing high-level T20 cricket as it looks to cement its place among Pakistan’s white-ball teams.
A successful LPL campaign could help Shaheen Afridi build momentum ahead of his return to limited-overs cricket in Pakistan later in the year, with the fast bowler expected to remain an integral part of the country’s ODI and T20I plans despite being left out of the current Test squad.
Schedule of Pakistan’s upcoming test series
Pakistan’s newly formed Test team will start its five-match series on foreign soil with a two-Test series against West Indies. The opening Test is scheduled to begin on July 25 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Taruba, while the second Test will be played at the Queens Park Oval from August 2 to 6.
After the Caribbean tour, Pakistan will travel to England for a three-Test series. The first Test will be held at Headingley from 19 to 23 August, followed by the second Test at Lord’s from 27 to 31 August. The series will conclude at Edgbaston, where the third Test is scheduled from 9 to 13 September.
The five Tests will provide an opportunity for Pakistan’s revamped team to improve their position in the World Test Championship standings while installing a new pace attack following the absence of Shaheen Afridi and other senior bowlers.