Shaheen Shah Afridi will 'likely miss' Sri Lanka series

KARACHI: Pakistan's pace ace Shaheen Afridi will likely miss the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka.

Sources said the lanky pacer could be rested during next month's assignment due to workload management ahead of the World Cup this year.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will announce the schedule of the two-match Test series later, which is part of the ICC World Test Championship soon.

Earlier, it was also reported that Pakistan are unlikely to play ODI matches during their Test tour of Sri Lanka.

The SLC and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had discussed the possibility of playing ODI matches alongside the two-match Test series between the two sides.

However, according to sources, the idea will likely be dropped due to unforeseen circumstances.

Shaheen is currently playing in England's T20 Blast for Nottinghamshire, where he has claimed 13 wickets in nine matches.

The lanky pacer said the benefit of the experience of playing league cricket is that he can share the knowledge gained with other players when he returns home.

"We play with and against such players who perform at the international level too. So it becomes easier to plan the way I should be bowling to them later on," Shaheen told Geo News last month.

"So it's good for the personal experience but also will be helpful to enhance my performance which will indeed be very beneficial later on for the World Cup preparations and to build a good momentum before that," he added.

It must be noted that Pakistan will participate in the World Cup in India in October-November this year.