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Pakistan's captain Shan Masood has expressed his support for the team management's decision to drop Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah from the second Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. Both fast bowlers were included in the first Test of the series. In a surprising move, Pakistan opted to play the second Test without their frontline fast bowlers, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah. While Shaheen was given some time to work on certain aspects of his game, as stated by head coach Jason Gillespie, Naseem Shah's exclusion from the second Test came as a major surprise.
Both Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have been considered Pakistan's premier bowlers across all formats in recent years. However, their performances have shown a decline over the past year.
Following Pakistan's defeat in the second Test against Bangladesh, captain Shan Masood expressed his confidence in the team's ability to bounce back by learning from their mistakes. He emphasized the importance of consistent selection processes for future success.
"Like I said, it's never doom and gloom. You always keep trying, you always come back. You always learn from your mistakes and you try and give people a chance. And I think that we're heading in the right direction. We have been consistent with selection, we had Khurram, Mohammad Ali, and Mir Hamza play this Test series," Shan Masood said in the post-match presentation.
We can't be harsh on Afridi, Naseem because they're playing all three formats: Shan Masood
Masood also explained the rationale behind the exclusion of Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah from the match. He emphasized that as all-format bowlers, it's crucial to provide them with rest. The captain also stressed the importance of developing the bowling resources for the future.
"We are trying to keep consistency with red ball performances as well. We've got Shaheen (Afridi) and Naseem (Shah) back in the fold as well. We can't be harsh on them because they're playing all three formats. If Shaheen has played consistently for a year, you can't just throw them in every game. And you have to build up your stocks as well. So we've got a lot to look at," Masood added.
Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have been struggling for form since the Asia Cup last year. Shaheen had a mediocre performance in the ODI World Cup 2023, taking 18 wickets at an average of 26.72. Naseem Shah missed the tournament due to injury. Both fast bowlers were expected to be key players for Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2024, but they were unable to help their team advance beyond the group stage. Shaheen took 5 wickets in 4 matches, while Naseem Shah picked up 5 wickets in 3 matches. In the first Test match against Bangladesh, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah opened the bowling for Pakistan. While Naseem started well, his penetration and pace decreased as the ball aged. He finished with figures of 3-93 in the first innings.
Shaheen Afridi had an even more disappointing performance. He took 2-88, and both of his wickets were of the tailenders. Pakistan's poor form from their star fast bowlers contributed significantly to their 10-wicket defeat in the Test match.
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