Pakistan drop Shaheen Afridi for the 2nd Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi
Pakistan have taken the radical decision to drop star left-arm seamer Shaheen Afridi from the playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh. The Men in Green are trailing 0-1 in the series and need a win to level the two-match Test affair in Rawalpindi.
Afridi was one of the four frontline seamers that Shan Masood named in the playing XI for the series opener at the same venue. The left-arm seamer, however, returned with disappointing figures of 2/88 after bowling 30 overs in the first innings, as Bangladesh posted 565 runs to claim a lead.
The pacers were criticized for not making the most of the conditions on offer, with head coach Jason Gillespie also said to be frustrated with their ability to not hit the right areas consistently. Following the backlash, Afridi has been the one to face the axe while the majority of the other seamers, including Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, and Mir Hamza are set to feature in the playing XI.
After scraping through part-time spinners in the first Test, frontline spinner Abrar Ahmed has been brought back into consideration. He is part of the final 12 members, of which 11 will be named to play the second Test.
Pakistan XII for the second Test against Bangladesh
Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Mir Hamza, Abrar Ahmed, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shehzad, and Mohammed Ali.
Shaheen Shah Afridi was dropped from the team during the tour of Australia as well
The left-arm pacer was not part of the playing XI in Pakistan's third Test against Australia in Sydney. He was not part of the dead rubber clash, keeping the five-match T20I series against New Zealand in mind, where he was supposed to lead the team. However, he maintained that it was the team management's decision to rest him taking his workload into account.
Shaheen Afridi's latest oust from the team comes under more controversial circumstances. His attitude was questioned after footage of him removing skipper Shan Masood's hand from his shoulder went viral on social media.
The second Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh is scheduled to begin from August 30 onwards.