Pakistan captain Shan Masood has backed the team management’s decision to leave out Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah from the second Test match against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. Both fast bowlers featured in the first Test match of the series.
In a surprise move, Pakistan decided to dispense with their frontline fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah.
While Shaheen was given some time to work on a few things (according to head coach Jason Gillespie), Naseem Shah’s drop ahead of the second Test came as a big surprise.
Both fast bowlers have been Pakistan’s top bowlers across all formats for the last few years. However, their performances have been on the decline over the last one year or so.
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Shan Masood backs Pakistan’s decision to sack Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah
Following the defeat in the second Test against Bangladesh, Shan Masood backed his team to make a comeback after learning from their mistakes.
He said consistency in the selection process is important if they want to be successful.
“As I said, there is never any pessimism. You always have to keep trying, you always have to come back. You always have to learn from your mistakes and you have to try to give people a chance. And I think we are on the right track. We have been consistent with the selection, we had Khurram, Mohammad Ali and Mir Hamza playing in this Test series,” Shan Masood said at the post-match presentation.
The 34-year-old further explained why Shaheen Afridi and Nasheem Shah were ruled out of the match.
He added that both teams play in all formats and it is important to give them rest. The Pakistan captain also insisted on increasing the number of bowlers for the future.
“We are also trying to maintain consistency with the red-ball performances. We have Shaheen (Afridi) and Naseem (Shah) back in the squad as well. We can’t be harsh on them because they are playing all three formats. If Shaheen has played consistently for a year, you can’t just put them in every game. And you have to build up your reserves as well. So we have a lot to look at,” Masood added.
The decline of Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah
Since last year’s Asia Cup, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have struggled to hit their best. While Shaheen had a consistent campaign in the 2023 ODI World Cup with 18 wickets at an average of 26.72, Naseem Shah was out of the tournament due to injury.
Both star fast bowlers were expected to play a key role in Pakistan’s 2024 T20 World Cup campaign but they failed to take their team beyond the group stage. While Shaheen picked up 5 wickets in 4 matches in the tournament, Naseem Shah took 5 wickets in 3 matches.
In the first Test match against Bangladesh, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah took the new ball for Pakistan. While Naseem started well, his penetration and pace declined as the ball wore out. In the first innings, he scored 3-93.
On the other hand, Shaheen Afridi had an even more disappointing performance with the ball. Afridi took 2-88 and his two wickets were among the last. Pakistan suffered a lot due to their poor form as they lost the Test match by 10 wickets.
