"His best days are behind him" - Fans react as Pakistan drop Shaheen Afridi for must-win 2nd Test against Bangladesh
Pakistan will be without their pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi in the second Test of their ongoing two-match home series against Bangladesh. The game kicks off at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday, August 30.
Bangladesh scripted history in the Test series opener, winning the contest by 10 wickets to register their maiden win over Pakistan in the format. Afridi had a lacklustre outing, bagging just two wickets.
The home team made a big change ahead of the must-win second fixture, leaving out Afridi from the 12-man side. Pakistan went with an all-pace attack for the first Test. However, following their defeat, they have brought back leg spinner Abrar Ahmed.
Following the announcement of the lineup, several fans took to social media, reacting to Shaheen Afridi's absence. Here are some of the top reactions:
Many Pakistani supporters opined that the team management took the right call by dropping Afridi from the playing XI for the second Test.
"Good decion. It look like Mir Hamza will play the test match. He will a good replacement in place of Shaheen Afridi," wrote a fan.
"Very good decision Pakistan management," commented another.
"I think his best days are behind him," chimed in yet another.
Pakistan's XII for 2nd Test: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Abdullah Shafique, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shehzad.
"He fully understands and appreciates the reasoning behind this decision" - Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie on leaving out Shaheen Afridi
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Pakistan's red-ball coach Jason Gillespie explained the reason behind dropping Shaheen Afridi from the team for the crucial second Test against Bangladesh.
Gillespie stated that he had a conversation with Afridi and made him understand why the Pakistani think tank made the decision. He said:
"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."
It is worth mentioning that Shaheen Afridi and his wife Ansha Afridi welcomed a baby boy last week.