Shaheen Afridi has been given a no-objection certificate to play in the Lanka Premier League for the first time, turning out for Kandy Royals. ESPNcricinfo reports that the Sri Lanka-based T20 event runs from 17 July to 8 August, and Kandy start against Dambulla Sixers on 18 July.
Left out of the Test plans
The left-arm quick was omitted from Pakistan’s Test squads for the current series against England and the West Indies after an inconsistent run in red-ball cricket. As the Tests overlap with the LPL, the 26-year-old will concentrate on franchise cricket instead.
Selector and High Performance Director Aaqib Javed recently suggested Afridi may now be prioritising white-ball cricket, saying players eventually have to choose a format. Afridi attended a white-ball camp at the National Cricket Academy while a red-ball camp ran at the same time, and was left out of the XI for the second Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet.
Still central to limited-overs plans
His place in the Test side is uncertain, but he remains key in limited-overs cricket. Appointed Pakistan’s ODI captain last year, he recently led them to a 2-1 ODI series win over Australia, finishing joint-top wicket-taker with seven at an average of 12.14.
The LPL will be his second overseas franchise stint in a year. He played for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League, taking two wickets in four games. In T20 cricket overall he has 362 wickets at 20.99 with an economy rate of 7.97.
