Pakistan premier speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi will likely to miss the upcoming Two-match Test Series due to the birth of his first child. The Test series between Pakistan and Bangladesh is scheduled to start from August 21. This will be Pakistan’s first assignment after a poor run in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Shaheen Afridi was in the limelight for a reportedly heated exchange of words with batting coach Mohammad Yousuf during Pakistan’s T20I tour of England before the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024. Reportedly he was involved in a verbal spat with the support staff during the T20 World Cup 2024 and these reports sparked speculation that the star pacer dropped from the squad for disciplinary action. However, Pakistan's newly appointed red ball coach Jason Gillespie revealed that the board will give him some rest to spend time with his family.
“Shaheen can miss Bangladesh Test matches due to childbirth. We can give him (some) rest if he wants to stay with his wife till then”. Said Pakistan’s red ball coach Jason Gillespie.
After the flop show in the T20 World Cup 2024, Men in Green will play nine Test matches for the 2024-25 season of the World Test Championship. These Tests include a home series against Bangladesh and England in August and October, respectively. They will also play away matches in South Africa in December/January and later will play two Tests at home against West Indies in January 2025.
Pakistan's performance in the T20 World Cup 2024
Babar Azam-led Pakistan lost their two consecutive clashes against co-host United States and arch-rivals India after that the side defeated Canada and Ireland despite two wins the side were unable to qualify for the Super 8.
Men in Green faced a lot of criticism after their poor performance in the World Cup their fans and former cricketers slammed them for their poor outing. Even their wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan said that the team deserves criticism to succeed.
“The criticism the team is facing is justified and we deserve this since we didn’t perform in accordance with expectations. Players who can’t face criticism won’t be able to succeed,” Rizwan stated.
Rizwan reflected on the team's overall disappointment, highlighting that their performance was below par.
"We are disappointed with our performance in the T20 World Cup. There are multiple reasons behind our losses. When a team loses, one can’t say that bowling and batting are doing well," he added.
Rizwan was unable to perform in the marquee event he just scored 110 runs at a strike rate of 90.9. His reckless dismissal to Jasprit Bumrah during the match against arch-rivals India was a focal point of criticism.
Hinting at possible changes in the squad, Rizwan suggested that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief would make the necessary decisions.
"Operations are a normal thing. When a person is ill, an operation is necessary. The PCB Chairman is a hard-working person. The decision about who will remain in the team and who will not is the chairman’s right," he concluded.
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