How a post from a parody account sparked rumors of a 'physical fight' between Shaheen Afridi and Shan Masood
Social media is abuzz with rumors that there was a physical fight between Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood and senior pacer Shaheen Afridi in the dressing room. The rumor also claimed that when Mohammad Rizwan tried to sort out the differences between Masood and Afridi, the duo started beating up the Pakistan keeper-batter.
While a few media organizations reported the alleged incident, there is no authentic proof of any such fight taking place in the Pakistan dressing room. In fact, the source of the shocking rumor is nothing more than a parody X account of Mufaddal Vohra, who is a popular cricket news aggregator.
The rumor of an alleged fight between Masood and Afridi comes close on the heels of an earlier clip in which the latter is seen removing the Pakistan captain's hand from his shoulder.
However, the short six-second clip is not enough to conclude whether there is any rift between the two Pakistan cricketers.
Shaheen Afridi has been controversially dropped for the 2nd Test against Bangladesh
In another major move that has also led to a huge controversy, Pakistan decided to drop Afridi for the second Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. The left-arm pacer picked up only two wickets in the first Test against Bangladesh, which Pakistan lost by 10 wickets.
He has been struggling for rhythm, especially in the longer format, ever since returning from injury. The 24-year-old had a disappointing Test tour of Australia. In four innings, he claimed only eight wickets at an average of over 41 on pace-friendly surfaces.
There have been mixed reactions to Pakistan's decision to drop Afridi for the second Test against Bangladesh. While batter Ahmed Shehzad questioned the move to 'blame' the fast bowler for the team's poor performance, Basit Ali and Salman Butt opined that the right decision has been taken, keeping the betterment of Pakistan cricket in mind.
While Afridi has been left out of the second Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, the pressure is also growing on captain Masood, who has a rather mediocre Test record. In 34 matches, the 34-year-old has scored just 1798 runs at an average of 28.09, with four hundreds and nine fifties. He was dismissed for six and 14 in the first Test against Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the opening day of the second Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday, August 30 was completely washed out due to rain.