Shaheen Afridi, the ace Pakistani fast bowler, was slammed for his poor fitness by Basit Ali. This came after Pakistan suffered a humiliating 10-wicket defeat at the hands of Bangladesh in the first Test of the two-match series in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan had declared their first innings on 448/6 with Mohammad Rizwan making 171* and Saud Shakeel scoring 141. They were confident of bowling out Bangladesh in no time, but the visitors fought back to score 565 runs and took a 117-run lead.
Mushfiqur Rahim starred with 191 runs, while Shadman Islam made 93. Mominul Haque and Mehidy Hasan Miraz also scored half-centuries.
In the second innings, Pakistan capitulated on the final day, losing 5 wickets in the first session itself, and were bowled out for 146 runs. Bangladesh chased down the 30-run target without losing a wicket and went 1-0 up in the series.
Shaheen Afridi should go and play first-class cricket: Basit Ali
In the first Test against Bangladesh, Shaheen took two wickets in the first innings while conceding 88 runs. After failing to create an impression with the new ball, Shaheen’s two wickets came toward the end.
His decreasing form dates back to the T20 World Cup earlier this year. The 24-year-old failed to deliver, finishing with five wickets in four matches at an average of 21.00.
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali believes Shaheen Afridi should be rested after yet another disappointing performance.
“Shaheen Afridi should be rested 100 percent. He should go and play first-class cricket. He should be rested. Ali S put in a lot of effort. Pakistan failed in bowling, fielding and batting. They beat us in all departments. It is wrong to say that the team had a bad day,” Basit said on his YouTube channel.
While Pakistan struggled to figure out what went wrong for them, Bangladesh commemorated a watershed moment in its history.
Bangladesh’s victory came after 14 meetings with Pakistan, during which the Tigers lost 12 and drew one. Bangladesh is presently the only Test cricket team that has yet to defeat India or South Africa.
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