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In order to manage his workload, Pakistan vice captain
Shaheen Shah Afridi has been rested for the third and final Test match against
Australia at the SCG. Imam-ul-Haq, the opener, will make his Test debut in lieu
of Saim Ayub, who performed poorly in the second Test at the MCG despite
hitting a half-century in Perth.
The choice that has been imposed on the guests is
Abrar Ahmed’s ongoing unavailability. He bowled in the nets on Monday, but
there are still questions about whether he can stay fit for the full five days
and about how his body will react to being Pakistan’s principal spinner and
possibly bowling more than 50 overs in a Test match. After complaining of pain
in his right leg during the Prime Minister’s XI match in Canberra, Pakistan
knows that playing him could reduce their playing strength to 10 players early
in the Test match.
After that, Abrar was declared ineligible for all of
the Test matches. Sajid Khan, who was brought in to replace him in Perth, will
make his series debut. Sajid will play his first Test match since Australia’s
2022 visit of Pakistan. Since then, he has fallen behind Abrar and Noman Ali in
the standings, but due to both players’ injuries and Pakistan’s desire to use a
spinner at the SCG, he has been able to rejoin the team.
The biggest surprise is Afridi’s absence, considering
that just hours before captain Shan Masood had praised him for leading the
attack. The most talked-about feature of his bowling, though, has been his lack
of velocity since he returned from injury last year; his pace rarely rises
above the low 130s. Furthermore, he has been left to carry a heavier load due
to the absence of his primary front-line bowling partner, Naseem Shah, as well
as an inexperienced fast bowling assault and Pakistan’s first-choice spinner.
As a result, he has bowled more deliveries than any other player in this series
for both sides combined, falling four balls short of 100 overs. Nathan Lyon, an
offspinner, is the person ranked second on that list.
It is less surprising that Imam was moved to the bench
given his troubles in Melbourne and his detached appearance at the crease.
Masood also emphasised how important it is to play attacking cricket, which is
not quite in line with Imam’s 31.22 strike rate. Ayub, who is 21 years old, has
only played 14 first class matches, thus he has little red-ball experience, but
his aggressive style of play is more suited for that type of cricket.