Shaheen Shah Afridi has reasserted his commitment to red-ball cricket, calling it his "first priority" as he gears up to play the President's Trophy, set to begin on Saturday. Afridi, who has fallen down the pecking order in Test cricket for Pakistan amidst perceptions of a lack of interest in the format, will play his first first-class match in Pakistan in seven years. "That was quite a good debut when I first played a first-class match in 2017 for KRL," said Afridi, who took 8 for 39 in that 17-year-old game. "Red-ball cricket is always my first priority. I've always loved it. Due to international cricket, I didn't get enough time to play, so I haven't played much cricket in recent months. So it's an opportunity to play red-ball cricket." Afridi, who was not selected for Pakistan's tours to the West Indies and England, said he wants to regain his place in Pakistan's Test squad. Over the past two series, Pakistan's bowling has significantly lacked pace, with the team favoring medium-fast bowlers over Afridi's perceived higher ceiling. However, Afridi's explosive pace and electric start to Test cricket were both on the wane when he lost his spot in the Test side. His last 27 wickets have come at an average of over 40, after his treatment for a knee injury in 2022 was famously bungled by the PCB, demonstrating the speed of that decline. It is a slide he is keen to reverse, especially with the one-dimensional nature of Pakistan's bowlers thrown in sharp relief by the pace and dynamism of England. "My older brother Riaz Afridi, who has played a lot of first-class cricket, taught me a lot. In the longer format, your confidence improves and your line and length get better the longer you spend on the ground. He stated, "I'll try to bowl in first-class cricket the same way I bowled in Test cricket." "I've not played red-ball cricket the last few months. I had been playing red-ball cricket continuously prior to that. If you play international cricket, then coming back to domestic cricket can be challenging. Because you've been playing international cricket constantly in all three formats, it keeps you busy. You should play domestic cricket when you have time. Afridi has been successful on Pakistan's domestic circuit recently, taking the most wickets in the Champions Cup, a one-day competition in which he led Pakistan Gold to victory. He took 7 for 36 in the final, and remains captain of Pakistan's ODI team, which he will lead in an upcoming home tri-series against England and Sri Lanka. It is followed by two home Test series, against Sri Lanka and New Zealand later in the season.