The Pakistan cricket team has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons lately. After a disappointing loss in the first Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, social media buzzed with rumours of a fight between skipper Shan Masood and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi.
The rumours even suggested that wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan tried to intervene but was allegedly beaten up by the duo. However, these rumors are entirely baseless. The source of the post is a parody account of Muffaddal Vohra, and there is no truth to the claims.
Shaheen Afridi and Shan Masood had a physical fight in dressing room. Rizwan tried to sort it out and they started beating him too.
-Black Day for Pakistan Cricket pic.twitter.com/47EZhMmDL8
— mufaddla parody (@mufaddl_parody) August 29, 2024
The speculation began when a video surfaced showing Afridi removing Masood’s hand from his shoulder, but it has been blown out of proportion.
Why is Shaheen Afridi Not Playing 2nd Test?
Shaheen Afridi is absent from the second Test against Bangladesh, after he was left out of the playing XI in Rawalpindi. Following Pakistan’s 10-wicket loss in the series opener, some media reports suggested that senior players and team management members blamed Afridi for the defeat.
Earlier, head coach Jason Gillespie had revealed the reason behind dropped left-arm pacer Afridi. Gillespie said that he has had a clear communication with him.
“Shaheen missed out this game, I had good conversation with him. He fully understands and appreciates the thinking behind it . We are just looking at what our best combination is for this game and this is way want to go. As I said we will look at conditions in the morning in this side what the exact makeup of our bowling attack looks like,” said Gillespie in pre-match conference.
The reports also hinted that his exclusion was influenced by a team management member who didn’t favor him, leaving Afridi feeling “unhappy and disillusioned.”
Pakistan who are yet to register a win under new skipper Shan Masood must win the second Test to level the series against Bangladesh.
