Shaheen Shah Afridi is one of the finest pacers for Pakistan in the modern era. The left-arm seamer has led the charge of the Men in Green’s pace attack in the major tournaments. However, he has been going through a rough phase over the recent years. Despite his poor form and criticism, he carried away being the first choice for the team.
However, he was left out of the Pakistan playing XI for the second and final Test match of the series against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. The Men in Green lost the first test against the Bangla Tigers for the first time in the history of the competition. This was a shell shocker for the fans and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as well. There have been internal conflicts between the players and the management that have led to the downfall of the team.
The pacer after the omission has been left shocked and heartbroken. The PCB perceived it as part of continuous unfair treatment from the team management. There are cricketers who despite their good performances do not get enough chances in the international circuit. It has been an inside problem from the management and the captain’s favourite players’ features in the team than the better performers.
Shaheen Shah Afridi’s misery continues
Does the omission mark the end of Shaheen Afridi’s test career? Afridi was criticised after the 10-wicket loss against Bangladesh. As per media reports, some senior team players and a few members of the team management blamed him for the loss and poor bowling display. This has raised questions over his place in the team and even in the 15-man squad. His pace has gone down after his recovery from last year’s injury problem.
Shaheen has not been at his best after the rehab. He has reportedly understood it as “unfair treatment.” This is not the first time that he has been questioned. But after the T20 World Cup in the USA, he was removed from the captaincy position in the format and stripped of vice-captaincy in Tests. It means the team and the management are thinking beyond him for the forthcoming years. That makes a tough call to make it into the side.
