Pak vs Ban: Shaheen Afridi dropped from 12-member squad for second Test

Visitors lead two-match series by 1-0; second Test to commence at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on August 30

As Pakistan looks to take on Bangladesh in the second Test, the team management has dropped pacer Shaheen Afridi from the 12-member squad for the match set to commence at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on August 30 (tomorrow).

Shaheen’s ouster from the second Test was revealed as Pakistan’s red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie announced the team’s 12-member squad for the second Test in a press conference on Thursday.

The development comes as the Shan Masood-led looks to level the two-match series after losing the first Test wherein visitors bamboozled through the Green Shirts’ batting line on the fifth day to secure their first-ever Test win against Pakistan.

The match saw the national side being bowled out at 146 in the second innings after which Bangladeshi openers Zakir Hasan (15*) and Shadman Islam (9*) eased past the 30-run target set by the Shan Masood-led side in a mere 6.3 overs.

It is to be noted that the left-arm pacer has only bagged 16 wickets in 10 innings since his comeback from a knee injury in July 2023.

“Shaheen is working on some things with his bowling to be as effective as he possibly can be [….] He is playing three formats for Pakistan. He also recently became a father and we want him to spend some time with his family,” Gillespie added.

His remarks refer to the fact that the star pacer recently welcomed his first child last week.

With Shaheen out, spinner Abrar Ahmed and left-arm pacer Mir Hamza have been included in the 12-member squad.

12-member squad
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, Khurram Shehzad