Shaheen Shah Afridi returns to red-ball cricket in style, taking three wickets against SLC Board XI

Pakistani speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi picked up three wickets in his first competitive red-ball match in nearly 12 months. It was Afridi's return to the longest format of the game after he missed the home series against New Zealand and England due to injury. Sri Lanka are set to host Pakistan for the two-match series; before that, the visitors are currently playing a two-day practice match against SLC Board XI.

In the game, the left-handed pacer dismissed Kamindu Mendis, Ahan Wickramasinghe, and Kavishka Anjula and recorded figures of 3-37. Pakistan came in to bat after the opposition was dismissed for 196 in their first innings, and with Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel still at the crease, the visitors reached 160-3 in 37 overs on the first day.  

In his first over, the 23-year-old bowled at express speed and beat the batter twice with his pace. Shaheen last played a Test match against the Lankan side in July 2022. On the last Sri Lankan tour, he suffered an injury that eventually worsened at the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. He was taken off the field in the finals of the T20 World Cup after suffering a knee injury, and eventually, Pakistan lost the match against England. 

However, the left-handed pacer marked his return with participation in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023, where he led the campaign successfully to lift the trophy with Lahore Qalandars for second consecutive time. He picked up 19 wickets in 12 matches in PSL 8. Afridi is now making a return to the longest format of the game on the tour of Sri Lanka. 

It is pertinent to mention that Hasan Ali also had a good outing in the practice match on the first day; he registered figures of 3-22 in 7.3 overs. The remaining wickets were taken by Aamer Jamal (2-33) and mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed (2-52). For the home side, their opening batter Oshada Fernando showed some resistance and scored 113 runs in 127 balls; his innings featuring 18 fours. Notably, Fernando has played 21 Tests for the Sri Lankan side. 

Pakistan will be looking to end their drought of Test series wins with Shaheen Shah Afridi's comeback

The first Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan will begin on July 16 at Galle, and the second game will be played at Colombo (SSC) on July 24. The two Test matches will be part of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Pakistan will be led by Babar, and the star players to look out for will be Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, and Imam-ul-Haq.

The Pakistani side will be looking to win the Test series, as they have last won a Test series in 2021 against Bangladesh. The visitors will be hopeful of a comeback in Test fixtures as their star pacer Afridi has returned to the squad after recovering from injury.