Shaheen Afridi plays his first domestic red-ball match since 2019 as he targets a Test return

Pakistan's ODI captain has played his first domestic first-class match since 2019, with a return to the Test side the stated aim

Shaheen Shah Afridi turned out in the President's Trophy on Saturday, his first appearance in Pakistan's domestic red-ball competition since 2019.

The left-arm seamer is currently outside the national Test squad, having been passed over for the tours of the West Indies and England. He has taken 126 wickets in 34 Tests since his debut in 2018.

Asked about the move back to four-day cricket, Afridi said: "Red-ball cricket is always my first priority. I've always loved it. I didn't get enough time to play because of international cricket, but I haven't been playing much cricket for the last couple of months. So it's an opportunity to play red-ball cricket."

A first red-ball outing since 2019

The President's Trophy is Pakistan's principal first-class tournament and the main proving ground for red-ball selection.

The gap is a consequence of the international schedule. Afridi has spent the intervening years moving between formats and tournaments, with little room left for the four-day competition.

He acknowledged that the switch back is not a simple one. "I've not played red-ball cricket for the last few months. Before that, I'd been playing red-ball cricket continuously. If you play international cricket, then coming back to domestic cricket can be challenging," he said.

His method, he said, will not change for the domestic level: "I'll try to bowl the same way in first-class cricket as I've bowled in Test cricket."

Passed over for two tours

Afridi was absent from Pakistan's squads for both the West Indies and England tours, the two most recent assignments of Pakistan's championship cycle.

Pakistan lost that England series 3-0, a sweep completed at Edgbaston, and the rebuild that follows it is where Afridi is making his case.

Lessons from an elder brother

Afridi pointed to family experience as the reason he values the longer game. "I learned a lot from my elder brother Riaz Afridi, because he's played a lot of first-class cricket," he said.

The benefit, as he described it, is the accumulation of overs rather than any change of technique. "In the longer format, the longer you spend time on the ground (the better it is) for your confidence, and for your line and length to get fine-tuned," he said.

Wickets in the white-ball game

There has been no shortage of form elsewhere. Afridi finished as the leading wicket-taker at the Champions Cup, where he captained his side to the title and took 7-36 in the final.

He also leads Pakistan in one-day cricket, so the question for the selectors is not whether he plays but in which format.

The wickets, in other words, have kept coming. They have simply come in the formats Afridi says he ranks second.

Two Test series to come

Pakistan's remaining fixtures in the current World Test Championship cycle are two Tests against Sri Lanka and two against New Zealand, a short run of matches in which to settle an attack.

They sit ninth in the standings with two wins from nine matches, while Australia lead the cycle with eight wins from 10.

The championship resumed with England's win at Edgbaston, and Pakistan will need results in both of their remaining series to move off the bottom of the table.

Pakistan's next Test squad, for the series against Sri Lanka, will be the first named since Afridi's return to first-class cricket.

Catch the match live updates, highlights, and full match coverage on CricRadio. Get fast, accurate, and ad-free updates throughout the game. Download the CricRadio app from the Play Store to stay connected. You can also get the live scores of cricket series directly on the CricRadio website for real-time coverage.