AUS vs PAK 3rd Test: Pakistan’s vice-captain, Shaheen Afridi has been rested for the third & final Test of the three-match ODI series against Australia at the SCG. The decision has been taken to manage Pakistan’s workload. Saim Ayib will also make his Test debut in place of opener Imam-Ul-Haq who struggled to deliver in the second Test at the MCG despite scoring a half century at Perth.
The reason behind Afridi being rested for the third Test is the unavailability of Abrar Ahmed. Though he bowled in the nets on Monday there are serious doubts over his ability to remain fit over five days as well as concerns around how his body will respond to Pakistan’s lead spinner and potentially bowling over 50 overs across the Test. After suffering discomfort in his right leg during the Prime Minister’s XI game in Canberra, Pakistan is aware that risking playing him means potentially going down to ten players early into the Test match.
Abrar was ruled out of each of the Tests after suffering the injury & Sajid Khan came in as his replacement in Perth. Sajid will play his first fixture of the series if included in the Playing XI of the third Test. This will be the first Test that Australia will play since the first tour of Pakistan in 2022. He fell down the pecking order behind Abrar & Noman Ali but injuries to both of them as well as Pakistan’s eagerness to play a spinner at the SCG, have seen him return to the side.
Shaheen Afridi’s absence is a huge concern for Pakistan Squad
Afridi’s absence is a huge surprise for fans as Captain Masood had praised him for being the leader of the attack just hours before the squad announcement. But his lack of pace since his return from injury in 2023 has been the most talked about aspect of his bowling attack. His pace rarely rises above 130 mph. In addition, he had a fulfill a greater responsibility in the absence of key pacer Naseem Shah.
The absence of a first-choice spinner & an inexperienced fast-bowling attack throws a greater burden on Afridi. He has so far bowled more deliveries than any other player across both teams this series sending down four balls shy of 100 overs. The man who holds second place on the list is Nathan Lyon at 69.5 overs.
Imam being rested for the third Test is no surprise as he was seen struggling to deliver in the series. Masood further stressed the importance of playing attacking cricket, with Imam’s strike rate of 31.22, not conducive to that philosophy. While Ayub has limited red ball cricket experience as he has played just 14 first-class games his aggressive disposition is more likely to fall in tune with that brand of cricket.
Australian captain Pat Cummins announced earlier on Tuesday that the hosts were going into the third Test with an unchanged team after having taken an unassailable lead in the series.
AUS vs PAK 3rd Test: Pakistan Squad
Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood (C), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammed Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Mir Hamza, Sajid Khan, Hasan Ali, Aamer Jamal
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