Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi Will Miss Zimbabwe Series; PCB to Give Young Players a Chance

Star players Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi will miss Pakistan’s upcoming white-ball tour to Zimbabwe, scheduled to follow their series against Australia. According to Cricket Pakistan.com, the selectors aim to rest senior players for the Zimbabwe series and give young cricketers a chance to gain valuable experience.

In addition to Azam and Afridi, selectors may rest key players like Mohammad Rizwan and Naseem Shah. However, all of them will participate in the Australia series, which begins on November 4. Pakistan’s tour of Australia will feature three ODIs and three T20Is, with the final T20I set for November 18, just days before the Zimbabwe series kicks off with its first ODI on November 24.

The selectors’ strategy comes amid a challenging period for Pakistan cricket, with disappointing results in the T20 World Cup and Test matches. Recent changes in management and leadership have been drastic. After losing to England in the first Test, the selectors dropped Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Sarfaraz Ahmed from the squad.

These bold decisions by the new selection committee yielded positive results, as Pakistan bounced back to win the second Test. Now, the selectors are focused on expanding the talent pool in Pakistan cricket. The Zimbabwe series presents a perfect opportunity to evaluate consistent performers from domestic cricket, ensuring the team builds a robust foundation for future competitions.