Shaheen Shah Afridi Set for Domestic First-Class Return After Seven-Year Gap

Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail

Pakistan fast bowler and ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi is set to make his return to domestic first-class cricket when he represents Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in the upcoming President’s Trophy Grade-I.

The tournament is scheduled to begin on September 12, giving the left-arm pacer an opportunity to regain valuable red-ball experience after a lengthy absence from domestic four-day cricket.

Shaheen Returns to Red-Ball Cricket

Shaheen’s comeback comes at an important stage of his career. The 26-year-old was not included in Pakistan’s squads for the recent West Indies Test series and the ongoing Test tour of England.

His return to domestic cricket could provide him with an opportunity to strengthen his case for a future recall to Pakistan’s Test squad.

Shaheen has played 34 Tests for Pakistan and taken 126 wickets. However, questions have been raised in recent years over his pace, workload and effectiveness in the longer format.

His last confirmed domestic first-class appearance came during the 2019-20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, when he played for Northern against Southern Punjab in Sialkot on October 28, 2019.

Strong Performance in National Champions Cup

Shaheen has already shown his ability to make an impact following his omission from Pakistan’s Test plans.

Last month, he led Pakistan Gold to the National Champions Cup title and finished the tournament as its leading wicket-taker with 13 wickets. His performance included a hat-trick in the final.

A successful campaign in the President’s Trophy could further strengthen his credentials for a return to international red-ball cricket.

KRL Begin Campaign Against Ghani Glass

KRL will start their President’s Trophy Grade-I campaign against Ghani Glass at Imran Khan Stadium in Peshawar on Saturday.

Shaheen will be joined in the KRL squad by fellow international all-rounder Faheem Ashraf.

The PCB has encouraged established international players to participate more regularly in domestic red-ball competitions as part of its efforts to strengthen the domestic cricket structure.

Several Pakistan Stars Included

A number of other prominent Pakistan players are also set to feature in the eight-team departmental competition.

• Shadab Khan will represent Ghani Glass.
• Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel and Saim Ayub will play for Kingsmen Academy.
• Imam-ul-Haq will lead OGDCL.
• Haris Rauf will represent Pakistan Television.
• Mohammad Rizwan will play for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited.

Rizwan has recently gained some domestic first-class exposure. He played two matches in the 2025-26 President’s Trophy, including the final against Wapda, and also appeared in one Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match in which he scored a century.

Saud Shakeel featured in six matches during the previous Quaid-e-Azam Trophy season, while Saim Ayub played two matches.

Haris Rauf, who has made 13 first-class appearances including a Test, also returned to domestic cricket last season after featuring in two Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches for Islamabad.

President’s Trophy Format

The 2026-27 President’s Trophy Grade-I will run from September 12 to October 28.

The competition features eight teams playing a single-league round-robin stage. Each team will play seven four-day matches, with the top two sides advancing to a five-day final.

Matches will be held at venues across Peshawar, Abbottabad, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Two new first-class teams, MIT Solutions and Kingsmen Academy, have joined the competition after gaining promotion from President’s Trophy Grade-II.

Chance for Shaheen to Push for Test Recall

Shaheen’s return to domestic first-class cricket will be closely watched as Pakistan continues to work on its Test combination.

Regular red-ball cricket can give the fast bowler an opportunity to build rhythm, assess his workload and demonstrate his effectiveness over longer spells.

A strong performance for KRL could therefore improve Shaheen’s chances of returning to Pakistan’s Test plans and once again becoming a key part of the national red-ball setup.