Shaheen Afridi abrubtly takes Shan Masood's arm off his shoulder
Bangladesh scripted history by recording their maiden Test win over Pakistan as they clinched the series opener in Rawalpindi by 10 wickets. This marked Bangladesh's inaugural win against Pakistan in 14 Tests, both on home soil and away. Following Pakistan's defeat, a video featuring captain Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi has ignited rumors of internal strife within the team. Here are further details.
Video clip sparks speculation of discord within Pakistan team
The clip shows Afridi removing Masood's arm from his shoulder during a team huddle, an act that has drawn significant attention online. This incident comes on the heels of another video where an irate Masood was seen arguing with newly-appointed head coach Jason Gillespie in the dressing room on Day 3 of the Test match against Bangladesh.
Here is the viral video!
Here's how the 1st Test panned out
Pakistan declared at 448/6 after they were invited to bat in Rawalpindi. Saim Ayub (56) and Saud Shakeel (141) rescued Pakistan after they were reduced to 16/3. Mohammad Rizwan's 171* later powered the hosts. Bangladesh responded with a mammoth 565, with Mushfiqur Rahim scoring 191. Shadman Islam (93), Litton Das (56) and Mehidy Hasan (77) registered fifties. Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy dented Pakistan's second innings. Although Rizwan's 51 avoided an innings defeat for Pakistan, Bangladesh aced the final day.
Masood admits misreading pitch conditions
In the post-match interview, Pakistan skipper Masood admitted that the team had misread the pitch conditions and overestimated their pacers' performance. He stated, "never to make an excuse, it (the pitch) didn't play the way we thought it would." He also acknowledged that they could have performed better in both bowling and fielding to keep up with Bangladesh's strong performance.
Masood acknowledges strategy missteps in team selection
Masood also conceded that their strategy of selecting four pacers did not yield the desired results. He suggested that there is "always room for a spinner" in the team, hinting at potential changes for future matches. "There's always room for a spinner, we lost Aamer Jamal who does well with both bat and ball," he said. This defeat serves as a valuable lesson for Pakistan as they prepare for the 2nd Test against Bangladesh on August 30.
