Shaheen set for domestic red-ball return after long absence

Seasoned Pakistan pacer and one-day 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 call-up 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 Sialkot on Oct 28, 2019. His return to the longer format domestically could provide Shaheen with an opportunity to strengthen his case for a recall to Pakistan's Test side after he was overlooked for the recent assignments. The 26-year-old has taken 126 wickets in 34 Tests but has faced criticism in recent years over a decline in his pace. He was also absent from Pakistan's red-ball plans as the national selectors reshaped the Test side. Shaheen did, however, provide an immediate reminder of his wicket-taking ability after his international axing by leading Pakistan Gold to the National Champions Cup title last month. He finished the four-team tournament as its leading wicket-taker with 13 scalps, including a hat-trick in the final. His 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 five-day 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, with the PCB pushing for established players to play more domestic red-ball cricket with new policies introduced over the past few months. 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, Imam-ul-Haq — will lead OGDCL, Haris Rauf will play for Pakistan Television and Mohammad Rizwan will feature for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited. Among them, Rizwan has had relatively recent domestic red-ball exposure. He featured in two matches of the 2025-26 President's Trophy for SNGPL — including the final against Wapda — and played one match of the 2025-26 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, scoring a century in it. Before that appearance, Rizwan had gone six years without playing domestic first-class cricket. Saud featured in six matches of the 2025-26 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, including the final that his team Karachi Blues won. Saim, meanwhile, played in two matches of the same competition. Pakistan white-ball pacer Haris — who has a total of 13 first-class appearances to his name, including a Test — appeared for Islamabad in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy last season, playing two games, after having also returned to the President's Trophy in the 2024-25 season. The President's Trophy will therefore offer several established internationals a chance to accumulate first-class cricket while also giving the national selectors an opportunity to assess players outside the international arena. The tournament is being staged across Peshawar, Abbottabad, Islamabad and Rawalpindi, with two new first-class teams — MIT Solutions and Kingsmen Academy — entering the competition after their promotion from President's Trophy Grade-II. Shaheen's presence, though, will be one of the biggest talking points when the competition gets underway. The pacer's domestic return comes after a period in which Pakistan have struggled to settle their Test combination, while Shaheen himself has had to contend with questions over his workload, pace and effectiveness in the longer format. A strong campaign for KRL could consequently give the fast bowler an opportunity to answer some of those questions on the field and put himself back in contention for Pakistan's Test plans.