Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has given his views on the exclusion of pacer Shaheen Afridi from Pakistan’s Test squad for the upcoming series against South Africa in December-January.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ali provided insight into what may have led to Afridi’s omission from the red team.
The former batsman suggested that the removal of his left-arm pacer was linked to his recent struggles in “dead pitches”, which made it challenging for the fast bowler to perform at his best.
However, he also pointed to a more personal reason behind the decision.
“Shaheen was removed from the team after he was made to bowl on dead pitches, but the controversy started when Shan put his hand on Shaheen’s shoulder and Shaheen removed it. That’s why he was not included in the Test team,” said Shaheen .
During the first Test of the Pakistan-Bangladesh series, a viral video emerged showing Shaheen Afridi removing Test captain Shan Masood’s hand from his shoulder during a team meeting on the field.
The incident quickly sparked speculation and discussion among fans and analysts.
Addressing the issue, Masood clarified that there was no fight between him and Afridi. He explained that Afridi was feeling pain in his shoulder and that his gesture was just misunderstood.
“There was no fight with Shaheen Afridi. He was feeling pain in his shoulder and unfortunately I put my hand on the same shoulder,” Masood told reporters.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today announced the line-up for the upcoming red-ball and white-ball series against South Africa, with some notable exclusions from the Test squad.
The T20I team will leave for South Africa on December 6, while the ODI and Test teams will leave on December 13. Red-ball coach Jason Gillespie will join the team in Johannesburg ahead of the Test series.
Pakistan Test squad for South Africa series:
Shan Masood (capt), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha
Test Series Schedule:
