Shaheen Afridi has reportedly been disheartened after he was dropped from the Pakistan squad for the second Test against Bangladesh. This match is set to begin on August 30, 2024, and will be played at the same venue in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan trails the two-Test series 0-1 and needs to win this match to level the series. Bangladesh recently defeated Pakistan for the first time in Tests by 10 wickets.
Ahead of the second Test at the same venue, Pakistan announced their 12-member squad for the match and it had the name of Shaheen Shah Afridi missing. Instead, Mir Hamza and Abrar Ahmed were included in the squad.
During a news conference, Jason Gillespie stated that Shaheen Afridi’s removal from the forthcoming match was a strategic decision. Gillespie stated that Afridi knows and accepts the logic behind the decision.
He further mentioned that Afridi will have the opportunity to spend time with his family. Notably, Shaheen Afridi welcomed a baby boy with his wife Ansha recently.
“Shaheen will sit out of this game. I had a good conversation with him, and he fully understands and appreciates the reasoning behind this decision. We’re looking for the best combination for this game, and this is our direction.
As I mentioned, we will assess the conditions in the morning and decide on the exact makeup of our bowling attack. Shaheen has received some feedback, and he’s had an interesting couple of weeks—he’s a new father, he’s playing all three formats, and we’re seeing an opportunity to allow him to spend time with his family as well,” Gillespie had said.
Afridi recorded figures of 2/88 from 30 overs as Bangladesh scored 565 runs in the first innings.
Shaheen Afridi left distraught after being dropped from Pakistan’s side
Following the first Test, Shaheen was granted permission to travel to Karachi to greet his newborn kid Aliyaar but was unexpectedly summoned back to Rawalpindi only two days later.
According to sources, when the team management informed him that he had been dropped, the young pacer was taken aback, questioning why he had been recalled if there were no intentions to play him.
This is not Shaheen’s first setback; before the 2024 T20 World Cup, he was ousted from the T20I captaincy following only one series loss to New Zealand. Shaheen was also recently removed as Test vice-captain and replaced by Saud Shakeel. Concerns have also been raised concerning his bowling technique and pace.
According to a Cricket Pakistan report, these recent occurrences have greatly impacted Shaheen Afridi, who has even given up lucrative league contracts to remain eligible for Test cricket. He received a strong and depressing message after being dropped.
It has been discovered that a member of the national team management dislikes Shaheen and played an important part in his withdrawal from the second Test against Bangladesh. Although none of the players performed well throughout the match, Shaheen was unfairly singled out, leaving him visibly upset and disillusioned.
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