3 reasons why Pakistan dropping Shaheen Afridi for 2nd 2024 Test vs Bangladesh is the wrong move
Pakistan dropped a bombshell ahead of the second Test against Bangladesh by choosing to drop Shaheen Afridi from the side. In a move that seemed unfathomable a while ago, the left-arm pacer apparently failed to make it due to tactical reasons.
Afridi was far from his best in the series opener, which Pakistan lost by 10 wickets. He returned with only two wickets in the first innings, conceding 88 runs while bowling 30 overs. The pacers were criticized for not making the most of the conditions as Bangladesh went on to pile up 565 runs in the first innings.
Pakistan red-ball coach Jason Gillespie confirmed on the eve of the clash that Afridi is not a part of the team.
"Shaheen missed out this game. I've had a good conversation with him. He certainly understands the thinking behind it. We are just looking at what our best combination is for the game, and this is the way we want to go," Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie told reporters ahead of the second Test.
"Shaheen's been given some feedback. He has had an interesting last couple of weeks. He's just become a father and we saw an opportunity where he can be allowed to go be with his family as well. He is working on some things on his bowling to be as effective as he can be and he has been working well with Azhar Mahmood. We certainly want to see Shaheen at his very best as we have a lot of cricket moving forward and he is going to play a big role in that," he added.
On that note, let us take a look at three reasons why Pakistan dropping Shaheen Afridi for the 2nd 2024 Test vs Bangladesh is the wrong move.
#1 Shaheen Afridi is still Pakistan's most bankable red-ball pacer
Shaheen Afridi's lack of pace and potency were noted during his bowling performance, but he was hardly the odd man out. None of the bowlers were able to cast an impression, which suggests that the problem is the collective execution rather than a single bowler faltering.
Despite being a shadow of his peak self, Afridi is still Pakistan's most reliable red-ball bowler. Naseem Shah is still getting into a rhythm after a lengthy layoff, while the likes of Shahzad, Ali, and Hamza are supporting bowlers at best and not capable of spearheading by any means. No one in the side has Shaheen's ability to move the ball, and make the new cherry count as much as possible.
He brings a variation into the bowling attack with his left-arm action, and has certainly been more reliable than the experienced Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Ali in the long run.
So dropping Afridi despite him not being too far from the rest of the bowling attack, does come across as surprising. His experience also matters in a crunch do-or-die contest for the Men in Green which the rest cannot offer.
#2 Game time is the answer to his poor form
Afridi's drop in pace and potency have been there for all to see. However, benching him might not be the best answer. It is not as if a spell on the sidelines and some rest will bring back the lost pace and old gusto, because if that was the answer the problem should have been resolved already.
Infact, the more Afridi bowls and gets those bad spells out of the way, the more chances are that he eventually finds his old rhythm and clicks. With workload and other concerns escalating since his serious knee injury, he has always had a break while bowling in red-ball cricket.
He was rested for the third Test in Australia, and with even no domestic cricket as well, it has been hard for him to find any sort of momentum. His bowling has resembled that of a bowling machine, way too mechanical, and needs work on and off the pitch simultaneously to get off this rut.
#3 His absence only justifies the unrest within the team
The unfortunate angle that bubbles up with Afridi's absence is potentially off-field one. While his absence has been put down to tactical reasons, reports have emerged of a rift in the dressing room involving Afridi. The aforementioned fact, coupled with the viral footage of the pacer removing skipper Shan Masood's hand from his shoulder during a huddle, spells bad trouble and seems far-fetched to be just a coincidence.
In a time where every single movement Pakistan cricket makes is heavily scrutinized and reported heavily, dropping Afridi just feeds even more fire into the flames. The fans and the media have already latched onto this, leading to a very uncomfortable environment for Pakistan cricket to function in.
Given that Afridi was in trouble earlier for discipline-related issue, and was not reprimanded, only makes the ongoing situation more tense.