Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi will not feature in the second Test against Bangladesh, slated to get underway on Friday (August 30) in Rawalpindi.
Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday (August 29) announced the 12-member squad for the series finale. Surprisingly, Shaheen’s name was missing from the team sheet.
The left-arm quick is the leader of Pakistan’s fast-bowling attack across all formats for a few years now. He spearheaded the four-man pace attack in the opening Test against Bangladesh, which Pakistan lost by 10 wickets.
Shaheen managed to pick only two wickets in the series opener, but his omission from the second Test came as a surprise for fans and experts alike.
Shortly after the playing XI was unveiled, Pakistan’s Test head coach Jason Gillespie addressed a press conference, where he gave a bizarre reason for Shaheen’s absence from the playing XI.
Gillespie mentioned that the decision to leave Shaheen was taken after recent developments in the star pacer’s life.
Notably, the 24-year-old became father of a baby boy last week, and the coach said the break will allow him to spend some time with his family and also work on his bowling.
“He’s had an interesting couple of weeks. He’s a new father, so we are seeing an opportunity where we may allow him to go and spend time with his family as well as also work on something with his bowling to be as effective as he possibly can be. He’s been working really well with Azhar Mahmood, which has been fantastic because we want to see Shaheen at his very best because there is a lot of cricket across all formats moving forward, and he’s going to play a big role in that. But right now, we’ve got all the bases covered,” Gillespie told reporters.
Pakistan have added left-armer Mir Hamza in Shaheen’s place. Unlike the first Test, the hosts have also included a spinner Abrar Ahmed in the 12-man squad.
Having lost the opening Test, Pakistan are in danger of losing another home series. Shan Masood and his men will be determined to salvage their pride in the second and final Test.
