"The first surgery has been done" - Basit Ali on Pakistan dropping Shaheen Afridi for 2nd Test against Bangladesh
Basit Ali believes that the Pakistani team management has finally taken a strong step by leaving out pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi. The pacer has been removed from their lineup for the second Test of their ongoing home series against Bangladesh. He used the term 'surgery' to describe the move.
Mohsin Naqvi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, had remarked that a big surgery is on the cards for the country's cricket team. He said this following Pakistan's loss to India at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
With Afridi being dropped, Basit suggested that the first major surgery has been completed. In his latest YouTube video, the cricketer-turned-expert said (from 2:58):
"The first surgery has been done, with Shaheen Afridi being dropped. Removing Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq was a minor surgery. However, this is a major surgery."
Basit also opined that Afridi wasn't dropped for removing skipper Shan Masood's arm from his shoulder during the Test series opener against Bangladesh. He added (from 3:33):
"People have been speculating that Shaheen Afridi was dropped because he removed Shan Masood's hand from his shoulder. However, that's not the reason."
A video surfaced on social media during the first Test of the series between Pakistan and Bangladesh, where Afridi was removing Masood's hand from his shoulder. The clip went viral, leading to many fans speculating that all might now be well in the Pakistani dressing room.
"It is also a wake-up call for Shan Masood as well"- Basit Ali on Pakistan dropping Shaheen Afridi
In the aforementioned video, Basit Ali mentioned that Pakistan dropping Shaheen Afridi from the playing XI is a wake-up call for skipper Shan Masood as well.
He reckoned that Masood would lose the team's captaincy if the Men in Green failed to win the second and final Test of the ongoing series against Bangladesh. The 53-year-old remarked (6:48):
"Shaheen Afridi's case will be a wake-up call for the Pakistani players. It is also a wake-up call for Shan Masood as well. Shan Masood won't remain the captain if Pakistan fail to level the series. The media and the fans won't keep quiet if you lose a series against Bangladesh."
Pakistan suffered an embarrassing 10-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the Test series opener. With the loss, Masood became the first Pakistani captain to start his career with four consecutive losses.
The second Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh will be played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from Friday, August 30.