In a surprising turn of events, Pakistan has decided to drop its premier pacer, Shaheen Afridi, for the second Test against Bangladesh. The crucial match is set to unfold at the Rawalpindi International Cricket Stadium on August 30.
Abrar Ahmed is slated to step in for Afridi, as he has been included in the revised 12-man squad announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday.
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Afridi’s Exclusion Stuns Fans
Shaheen Afridi’s omission from the squad has left many fans astounded, considering his stature as Pakistan’s leading fast bowler across all formats in recent years. Despite his impressive credentials, recent scrutiny of his off-field conduct and on-field performances appears to have influenced this unexpected decision.
The move comes on the heels of Pakistan’s historic 10-wicket loss in the opening Test. Afridi had a challenging performance in that match, managing only 2/88 across 30 overs in the first innings and failing to take any wickets in his subsequent two-over spell. His dismissals in the Test were restricted to number eight Mehidy Hasan Miraz and number nine Hasan Mahmud.
🚨 Pakistan’s 12 for the second Test 🚨#PAKvBAN | #TestOnHai pic.twitter.com/9TprXzdzjx
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 29, 2024
Gillespie’s Take
‘We’ll certainly look at conditions and make an assessment but one thing we’re loathed to do is just make a decision purely based on over rates that’s something we did speak about as a whole team because our over rates were poor in the first Test and unacceptable. It’s as simple as that,’ Gillespie said.
‘We wanted to name 12 because obviously with the conditions we haven’t been able to really look at the surface much the last couple of days because of the weather so we want to be as informed as we possibly can tomorrow morning to make the best decision we can in order to what we think is the best side to take 20 wickets,’ Gillespie added.
Overall, Shaheen has 115 wickets from 30 Tests at 27.08. The tally includes four fifers.
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Pakistan’s squad for 2nd Test
Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Abdullah Shafique, Naseem Shah, and Khurram Shahzad.
