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Shaheen Afridi (Source: X)
The Pakistan Cricket team have decided to drop left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi ahead of the upcoming 2nd Test match against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. The decision shocked the entire cricket fraternity since his performance wasn't that bad in the 1st Test match. However, skipper Shan Masood revealed the team in the media where Afridi was missing. While the captain didn't explain properly, the presence of four pacers in the team might have led to this decision.
Afridi took two wickets in the 1st Test and conceded 88 runs. There was a lot of criticism regarding the performance of the Pakistan bowlers since they conceded 565 runs against Bangladesh, which led to a defeat. Now, they have to win the 2nd Test match to draw the series, or they will lose the series, which will be extremely embarrassing for the captain and team. Hence, the management decided to drop Afridi and give a chance to the rest of the bowlers to revive their form and pride.
Pakistan team: Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Mir Hamza, Abrar Ahmed, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shehzad, and Mohammed Ali.
Pakistan's desperate attempt to win 2nd Test match against Bangladesh
To save their pride, Pakistan are looking for a desperate win in the upcoming 2nd Test match against Bangladesh. While the games fall under the WTC cycle, winning every match becomes important. Now that Pakistan have lost one game already, they'll look for revenge in the 2nd game. Losing matches to Bangladesh in their own backyard goes against their pride, and now, they'll play for it.
Moreover, Pakistan has slipped to the eighth position in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table, which is embarrassing again. With the kind of atmosphere they have and the kind of game they have displayed in a while, the chances of qualifying for the WTC finals are bleak. Hence, the upcoming games will be extremely important for them and the visitors as well.