Pakistan appoint Shaheen Shah Afridi vice-captain for Australia Test series 

Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi is pictured during a practice session ahead of the Pakistan vs Australia Test series at Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia, on December 12, 2023. (Pakistan Cricket Board)
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Updated 13 December 2023
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Pakistan appoint Shaheen Shah Afridi vice-captain for Australia Test series 

  • Pakistan will face Australia in a three-match Test series which kicks off on Wednesday at Perth
  • Afridi was last month appointed captain of Pakistan Men’s Cricket Team in the T20 format 

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi vice-captain for the Australia Test series on Wednesday, a month after he was appointed captain of the men’s national squad for cricket’s shortest format. 

The left-arm pacer, considered one of the most lethal fast bowlers in modern cricket, was appointed captain of Pakistan’s T20I squad in November after former skipper Babar Azam stepped down. Azam resigned from all formats of the game following Pakistan’s dismal performance in last month’s World Cup, where the green shirts under his leadership failed to qualify for the semifinal stages of the tournament. 

Afridi, who is a regular member of Pakistan’s national team in all three cricket formats, has played 27 Tests, 53 ODIs and 52 T20Is. He will serve as deputy to Shan Masood, who was appointed Pakistan’s captain for the Test format in November. 

“Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has been appointed vice-captain of the Pakistan Test Team for the series against Australia,” the PCB said in a statement. “Earlier, Shaheen was also appointed captain of the Pakistan Men’s T20 Cricket Team.”

The statement did not say whether Afridi would remain as vice-captain after the Australia series or whether the board would appoint a new one as Masood’s deputy. 

The three-match Benaud-Qadir Trophy will kick off tomorrow, Thursday, in Perth when Masood’s team take on Australia. Pakistan currently top the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 points table after starting their campaign on a winning note against Sri Lanka earlier this year. Overall, Pakistan are ranked sixth on the ICC Men’s Test team rankings.

Australia, the reigning world Test champions, will be starting their second series of this year’s WTC cycle. Australia are ranked fifth on the table after their series against England, where they won two, lost two and drew a game. 

Pakistan’s last Test series in Australia in 2019-20 ended on a disappointing note for the visitors, who lost 2-0. In the recent Test series between both sides in March 2022, Australia won 1-0 in the three-match Test series that was held in Pakistan.


Pakistani national in Dubai killed by falling debris from ‘aerial interception’

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Pakistani national in Dubai killed by falling debris from ‘aerial interception’

  • Pakistani driver killed on Saturday as debris falls on vehicle in Al Barsha area, confirms Government of Dubai Media Office
  • Iran has targeted Gulf countries hosting US troops with missile, drone attacks since Middle East conflict began last week 

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani national was killed this week after debris from an aerial interception fell on a vehicle in Dubai, the Government of Dubai Media Office confirmed on Sunday.

The incident took place in Dubai’s Al Barsha area, the Dubai Media Office wrote on social media platform X, without confirming the location from where the projectile was fired from. 

“Authorities confirm that debris from an aerial interception fell onto a vehicle in the Al Barsha area, resulting in the death of a Pakistani driver,” the Dubai Media Office said. 

This is the second Pakistani national killed in the UAE since the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. As per local media reports, a Pakistani national died in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 28 after being struck by missile fragments. 

Pakistani and Nepalese nationals were among six people injured by falling debris on Thursday after the UAE’s air defense systems intercepted drones, the Abu Dhabi Media Office had confirmed in a statement. 

Iran has carried out several missile and drone attacks on Gulf countries hosting American troops since Isreal and the US launched coordinated strikes against it last week. The surprise attack came after months of negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program. 

Pakistan has asked its citizens in Gulf states to exercise caution, avoid travel and strictly follow official adviseries ever since tensions escalated in the region last week.

The UAE is home to over 1.5 million Pakistani expatriates, one of the largest communities of overseas Pakistanis worldwide.

Pakistan has condemned the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran but also criticized Tehran’s attacks that have targeted countries in the Gulf region, advising all parties to exercise restraint. 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday apologized to Gulf neighbors for the attacks, saying Tehran would halt strikes unless attacks against Iran originate from their territories. 

However, questions were raised over the apology as air defense sirens and interceptions were reported in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain later on Saturday, fueling uncertainty across the Gulf.