Shaheen Shah Afridi Omitted from Pakistan's Squad for Second Test Against Bangladesh

Pakistan have left out left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi for their 12-man squad for the second Test against Bangladesh starting at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium tomorrow.

This is a must-win Test for Pakistan if they are to share the series honours; a loss or a draw will see Bangladesh win the series.

The Pakistan squad also includes the leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed and left-arm fast bowler Mir Hamza as replacements for Shaheen, whom the team is resting. Jason Gillespie, the red-ball coach of Pakistan told the press: "Shaheen gets feedback on his bowling and he's also taking some time off to be with his family.

In the opening Test in Rawalpindi, Shaheen snared two wickets in the first innings and failed to snare any in the second innings as Bangladesh recorded a historic ten-wicket win over Pakistan. On Day four of the game, Shaheen added one more reason to cherish the encounter even further as he welcomed the birth of his son, Aliyaar.

"Shaheen is not part of this game. We have had a proper talk with him, and he understands and respects the reason behind this. He has received a few insights and is working on his bowling performance," Gillespie said.

"He has had a couple of big weeks with the baby born, and this is just an opportunity for him to spend quality time with his family."

"He's working closely with Azhar Mahmood [assistant coach]. We want Shaheen to be at his best because he's that important for us across all formats".
Pakistan's inclusion of Abrar Ahmed follows the struggles of their four fast bowlers in the previous match while Bangladesh's spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz racked Pakistan for just 146 runs in the second innings to seal a stunning ten-wicket win.

The 12-man Pakistan squad is: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Abdullah Shafique, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shehzad.