Pakistan's tour of South Africa began earlier this month with a three-match T20I series from December 10-14 which ended 2-0 in favour of the hosts after rain forced the last match to be abandoned. The first of three ODIs took place on December 17, with the second scheduled for today (December 19) and the third for December 22.

The two-Test series will be played from December 26-30 in Centurion and from January 3-7 in Cape Town. Pakistan had announced the red-ball squad along with the two white-ball squads on December 4, with a couple of surprising selections.

Fast bowler Naseem Shah and batter Babar Azam had been recalled after missing the last two home Tests against England, but notably Shaheen Afridi was not. Instead, 34-year-old seamer Mohammad Abbas received a Test recall after three years.

The PCB's press release at the time stated, "Shaheen Shah Afridi, who also missed the last two Tests against England, has been picked for the white-ball matches as part of his workload management so that he is in his best fitness and form for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025."

But barely a week after the squads were announced, on December 11, the PCB granted Shaheen a no-objection certificate (NOC)to participate in the Bangladesh Premier League from December 30 to January 15.

Yesterday (December 18), BPL side Fortune Barishal confirmed that they had secured Shaheen's signature for the upcoming season. Barishal's first match of the season is the tournament opener on December 30, the final day of the first South Africa-Pakistan Test.

Shaheen will be available for their first five matches of the season against Durbar Rajshahi, Rangpur Riders, Durbar Rajshahi, Sylhet Strikers and Rangpur Riders. The last of these matches is on January 9, meaning if he takes part in all of them, Shaheen will have played five T20s in 11 days.

Watch: Shaheen Afridi cleans up Heinrich Klaasen with reverse-swinging peach

While this workload is not quite the same as bowling long spells and potentially fielding all day in Test cricket, it does beg the question as to why the PCB are on board with allowing Shaheen to play while maintaining that he has been left out of the Test squad to manage his fitness and keep him fresh.

In addition, Shaheen's NOC for the BPL is valid until January 15. Pakistan have a home Test series against West Indies beginning on January 16. If the board have greenlit permission for him to participate in the BPL until one day before that series begins, it appears unlikely at this point that he will be involved there either.

Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.