table of contents
The Pakistan national cricket team could be headed for a major overhaul and the latest move by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has put star fast bowler Shaheen Afridi in the spotlight. The left-arm fast bowler has not been included in the PCB’s upcoming red-ball camp, sparking speculation over his future in Test cricket.
Shaheen Afridi has been one of Pakistan’s biggest match-winners in Test cricket and that is why his absence from the red-ball camp has surprised many fans and cricket experts.
PCB announces separate red-ball and white-ball camps
On Sunday, June 7, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced two separate camps at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to prepare players for upcoming international and domestic assignments. Overall, 49 players have been selected in both the white-ball and red-ball camps.
Also read: “His time is up”: Sanjay Manjrekar delivers brutal verdict on Suryakumar Yadav after removing him from T20I captaincy
The red ball camp will run from June 8 to July 10, while the white ball camp will begin from June 15, with 22 and 27 players participating respectively. The players selected for these camps will work closely with the national coaches, NCA coaches and the medical and fitness staff of the PCB.
NCA camps aim to improve skills, fitness and match preparation
The PCB said in an official media release: “Players who were part of the recently concluded ODI series against Australia and have been selected for the red-ball camp will join the camp from June 15. The NCA white-ball camp will begin on Monday, June 15 and will continue till Friday, September 18. Twenty-seven players will take part in the camp.
Both the camps are designed to prepare the players for upcoming international and domestic events. During the camp, players will work with the PCB medical staff as well as national and NCA coaches on their skills and fitness. Players will also have one-on-one sessions with coaches to better understand the skills and fitness requirements at the international level.
Shaheen Afridi ignored for red-ball camp
The biggest talking point of the announcement was the absence of Shaheen Afridi from the red ball camp. Despite being one of Pakistan’s most experienced fast bowlers, Afridi was overlooked for the longer format camp but he is part of the white-ball camp, which has raised many questions.
Also Read: “Same thing happened”: EX-CSK batsman joins Rohit Sharma after Suryakumar Yadav’s exit from T20I captaincy
However, the move could be part of workload management, as Shaheen Afridi is the white-ball captain and there are several big events lined up in the coming months, including the Asian Games 2026 and the ICC World Cup 2027. Hence, it is likely that Shaheen was asked to focus on white-ball cricket.
Players selected for red-ball camp: Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Abrar Ahmed, Ali Usman, Amad Butt, Azan Awais, Babar Azam, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shehzad, Saqib Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shehzad Gul, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Awais Zafar, Mohammad Ghazi Ghori, Obaid Shah, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Aga, Shan Masood.
Players selected for white ball camp: Abdul Samad, Abdul Subhan, Ahmed Daniyal, Sameer Minhas, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Farhan Yousuf, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Khawaja Muhammad Nafe, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Rohail Nazir, Saad Baig, Saad Masood, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shameel Hussain, Sufiyan Mokeem, Usman Khan.