KARACHI: Seasoned Pakistan pacer and oneday international captain Shaheen Shah Afridi is set to return to domestic first-class cricket after a prolonged absence when he turns out for Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in the President’s Trophy Grade-I starting on Saturday.
The left-armer’s return to the domestic red-ball circuit comes at a significant juncture in his career, with Shaheen having been left out of Pakistan’s squads for the recent West Indies and ongoing England Test tours.
Shaheen’s return is particularly notable given that it was his performances for KRL and Pakistan Under-19s that helped earn him a callup to the senior Pakistan side before he went on to establish himself as one of the country’s premier fast bowlers.
Since making his Pakistan debut in 2018, however, Shaheen has had little involvement in domestic first-class cricket.
His most recent confirmed domestic first-class appearance came in the 2019-20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, when he featured for Northern against Southern Punjab in October 2019. Shaheen’s return to first-class cricket also comes as the Pakistan Cricket Board begins the 2026-27 domestic red-ball season with the President’s Trophy Grade-I, which will run from Sept 12 to Oct 28, the board announced on Thursday.
The eight-team departmental competition marks the start of the new domestic season and comprises 28 four-day matches in a single-league round-robin stage. Each side will play seven matches, with the top two advancing to the fiveday final.
KRL will open their campaign against Ghani Glass at Imran Khan Stadium in Peshawar on Saturday.
The competition also features several other Pakistan internationals. All-rounder Shadab Khan will turn out for Ghani Glass, while Faheem Ashraf has been included in the KRL line-up alongside Shaheen.
Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel and Saim Ayub will represent Kingsmen Academy, Imamul-Haq will lead OGDCL, Haris Rauf will play for Pakistan Television and Mohammad Rizwan will feature for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited.
The tournament is being staged across Peshawar, Abbottabad, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
-Sports Reporter