The evidence of a division inside the Pakistan men’s cricket squad is becoming more and more evident every day. Shan Masood, the skipper, and head coach Jason Gillespie were seen fighting passionately on Day 4 of the first Test match against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The following day, during a team meeting, Shaheen Shah Afridi was observed taking Masood’s hand off his shoulder.
For the Pakistani team, things are not looking good right now. Former cricketer Wasim Akram claimed that there is animosity amongst the players in the dressing room following an embarrassing elimination from the T20 World Cup. Babar Azam’s return to the national squad as captain marked the beginning of it all.
When there is no unity!
There is no will!#PAKvsBAN pic.twitter.com/G4m2sjLyyC— Shaharyar Azhar (@azhar_shaharyar) August 25, 2024
The 29-year-old resigned as captain of all three game types following his failure in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Masood was named the red-ball captain, and Shaheen was named the white-ball format leader. But unexpectedly, Shaheen was dropped after just one T20I series following a 4-1 loss against New Zealand.
The appointment of Babar as captain enraged Shahid Afridi and other former cricket players. As Shaheen’s father-in-law, he said that Babar ought to have trusted Shaheen to lead the team instead of taking over once more following the T20 World Cup 2024. Babar is 47 years old. Though neither of them provided clarification, it seemed Shaheen was also experiencing problems with Babar.
Things apparently became worse after the T20 World Cup, especially after Babar failed miserably to demonstrate good leadership. The Test team is already showing signs of it as well, particularly after Pakistan lost to Bangladesh by a humiliating 10-wicket margin.
Also Read: Watch: Shaheen Afridi celebrates her child’s birth during the Rawalpindi Test in a unique way
As a result of their bat flop, the visitors were only able to chase 30 runs in the game’s last innings. Pakistan’s wait to win a Test match at home was now 1294 days, as Bangladesh grabbed a 1-0 lead in the series.
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