Who is Pakistan's number-one pacer at the moment? If you ask this question, anyone will close their eyes and say the name of Shaheen Shah Afridi. It is not wrong to say that Shaheen is one of the best pacers in the world at present, because of Pakistan only. But that Shaheen was dropped from Pakistan's XI. Pakistan shocked the cricket world by arranging the XI without Shaheen in the Sydney Test.

After losing the first two matches, Pakistan lost the series. Is it a luxury to keep a pacer like Shaheen out of the eleven for the final Test? However, some say that Shaheen was dropped because of his performance.

Shaheen could not perform as expected in the first two Tests. In the 1st Test, he bowled 39.2 overs and conceded 172 runs for just two wickets. In the second Test, he conceded 161 runs by bowling 27 overs in both innings, although he got 6 wickets in this match. The two teams will play the last test of the series on Wednesday. And Pakistan announced the XI for this Test, where Sajid Khan got a chance to replace Shaheen. 

Meanwhile, left-handed batsman Saim Ayub, who is waiting for his debut in Test cricket, got a chance in the Sydney Test XI. Many people are looking forward to seeing how Sime plays Test cricket known for his sensational batting in limited overs cricket. Opener Imam-ul-Haq had to be dropped while taking him into the team. He scored only 94 runs in four innings in two Tests. Average 23.50! Imam is supposed to be dropped for off-form naturally. However, many people think that the team has given him a little breather in the name of rest.

But above all, Shaheen's absence from the XI is the most talked about. “Big call to be without Shaheen Afridi for the Sydney Test. I thought Pakistan’s key bowlers would be Shaheen and Abrar but look a bit thin without them. Excited to see Saim Ayub. I’ve heard a lot about him,” Bhogle wrote on X.