The Pakistan captain cleared the air after the Test series loss to Bangladesh.
Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood has dismissed the growing speculation of a rift between himself and star pacer Shaheen Afridi.
During the first Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh, a video went viral on social media, in which Shaheen was seen shrugging off Masood’s hand from his shoulder when a mid-match team discussion was going on.
On Tuesday (September 3), Masood clarified that Afridi’s action was not out of anger but due to caution as he had placed his hand on an area where the left-arm quick took a blow earlier in the match.
"I think there was an incident going around where I had put my hands on Shaheen's shoulder, and he had shrugged it off. He was not angry with me. He had got hit by Nahid Rana and I had touched that exact place," Masood said in the post-match presser after Pakistan’s six-wicket loss to Bangladesh in the second Test match.
Another incident during the series saw Masood seemingly lashing out at Shaheen after a boundary. However, the captain explained that his frustration was directed at head coach Jason Gillespie for using an older ball.
"The next one was that I was angry at Jason Gillepie. But that was not the case. Our ball had gone into the stands after Litton hit a shot. That ball was 8 overs old. After the umpires replaced the ball, we noticed that it was much older, 18-19 overs old and I was arguing that we needed a better ball, and then I saw rumours of resignation, rift with Shaheen. So we try to watch less social media during matches," Masood added.
The defeat in the second Test meant Pakistan suffering a 2-0 whitewash in the home series against Bangladesh.
Reflecting on the humiliating result, Shan Masood acknowledged that his team was not adequately prepared for the demands of Test cricket.
The Pakistan skipper apologised to the fans, while also highlighting the importance of moving forward swiftly from this setback.
"I take responsibility for the defeats and I apologise to the nation. But I think we need to focus on how we can improve and take our Test side forward," Masood told reporters.
"There is no excuse for losing this series and we accept that. But it is also a fact that the players also wanted to do well.
"But we were just not prepared for red ball cricket. We have to tolerate some failures if we are to move forward," he added.