England head coach Brendon McCullum on Monday said the absence of fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi due to injury is a big loss for Pakistan in the three-match Test series starting this week.
The lanky left-arm fast bowler – Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in all three formats – was ruled out of the series due to a knee injury sustained during the Twenty20s. World Cup final in Australia earlier this month.
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The 22-year-old also had his appendix removed earlier this month.
England practiced for the first time at the Rawalpindi Stadium on Monday, a day after arriving in Pakistan on their first Test tour since 2005.
The first test starts on Thursday.
McCullum said Shaheen has made a lot of progress since playing with and then coaching the pacer during the first two editions of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2016 and 2017.
“I know him very well. He is a fantastic bowler and he has become a great captain for Pakistani cricket.”
“Shaheen is clearly a huge loss.”
In his absence, Pakistan will rely on youngster Naseem Shah as well as Mohammad Wasim Jr and Haris Rauf who have not played at Test level.
But McCullum praised Pakistan’s fast bowling talent.
“You look at their team sheet and you see talent … you see some that may not be developed talent, but it is talent.
“You need to respect that, and you need to find a way to be able to come up with something that’s well-researched and well-planned.”
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England were due to tour Pakistan last year but pulled out a week after New Zealand canceled their limited-overs series on security grounds minutes before the first match.
After touring Pakistan for a Twenty20 series two months earlier, they rescheduled the tour in two phases.
McCullum, who took over as England coach last year, admitted that Pakistan would be stronger at home.
“It’s a very good Pakistan team, it’s well rounded,” McCullum said, adding that England have won six out of seven Tests.
“There’s some experience and some youth in it – both with the bat and the bowling – and they will be a tough challenge.
“We know we have to play well if we’re going to be successful.”
The second Test is in Multan (9-13 December) and the third in Karachi (17-21 December).
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