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[Saba Sports News] Pakistan’s ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has been appointed vice-captain for the Test series against Australia, a part of the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle. The tour, beginning with a Test in Perth on December 14, follows a warm-up match in Canberra on December 6. Afridi boasts impressive stats, with 105 Test, 104 ODI, and 64 T20I wickets in his career.
Following Babar Azam’s resignation from captaincy across formats post the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, 23-year-old Afridi stepped in as T20 captain, with Shan Masood now leading the Test team. Afridi’s fast bowling skills and swing have been crucial for Pakistan in all formats.
Pakistan enters the series as leaders of the WTC 2023-25 points table, following a victory over Sri Lanka in July. They face Australia, the global Test champions, in their second WTC series after retaining the Ashes.
The playing XI for the first AUS vs PAK Test includes David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, and Josh Hazlewood for Australia. Pakistan’s lineup features Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Agha Salman, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Aamer Jamal, and Khurram Shahzad.