“Where the hell are they bowling him?” - Former head coach blasts Pakistan for resting key pacer in SA vs PAK 2024 1st Test

Former Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur slammed the decision to rest Shaheen Afridi for the upcoming away Test series against South Africa. The left-arm pacer was not included in the squad, with white-ball formats being emphasized ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Recently, Afridi played the entirety of the ODI and the T20I series in South Africa, before leaving the country to partake in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for the Fortune Barishal. In the absence of Afridi, Pakistan's pace bowling department includes Naseem Shah, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Aamer Jamal, and Khurram Shahzad.

Reports had also emerged stating that Afridi does not wish to play red-ball cricket until the 2025 Champions Trophy. This suggests that he is likely to miss the upcoming Test series against West Indies at home as well.

Mickey Arthur, however, felt that Afridi had to play the upcoming series, considering South Africa is a pacers' paradise. The recently concluded series between the Proteas and Sri Lanka saw the pacers thrive, including a memorable seven-wicket haul in the series opener.

"I can't believe it. If he's not bowling in South Africa, then where the hell are they bowling him? It's the best place to bowl in the world, almost. Plus, he gives you a left-arm option. I know they have got Mir Hamza, but Shaheen is a game-breaker and match-winner," Arthur said in an interaction with ESPNcricinfo.

"I'm not in the inner echelon in terms of knowing the ins and outs of why they haven't selected him, but on pure skill, I would have him in South Africa in any team I pick," he added.

The left-arm pacer had a fruitful set of outings during the white-ball leg of the South Africa tour. He was the leading wicket-taker in the ODI series with seven scalps, and bagged the most wickets (3) for Pakistan in the T20I series as well.

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Shaheen Afridi was dropped by Pakistan after the first Test against England at home in October 2024

This is not the first time that Afridi has not been part of the red-ball playing XI due to short-format commitments. In the third Test against Australia in Sydney in early 2024, he was on the bench to prepare for the upcoming white-ball tour of New Zealand.

Afridi was also dropped from the Test squad midway through the home series against England along with Babar Azam and Naseem Shah in October. After losing the first test, Pakistan switched to rank turners for the last two Tests, completing a turnaround to win the series 2-1.