Shaheen Afridi And...? 3 Pakistan Players Who Might Not Play 2nd Test Vs Bangladesh

Shaheen Afridi could miss 2nd Test vs Bangladesh [X]Shaheen Afridi could miss 2nd Test vs Bangladesh [X]

On Sunday, Pakistan had a disastrous outing, as Bangladesh handed them an embarrassing ten-wicket defeat in the first Test match at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. 

After Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz restricted the hosts to their lowest ever Test score against Bangladesh, the visiting openers, Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam, chased a paltry 30-run target to secure their commanding win. 

So, given the second Test will be a do-or-die clash for Pakistan, Shan Masood and co might make several changes to their playing XI. So, let's analyse and see which players might miss the second Test. 

Shaheen Afridi 

Pakistan's ace speedster Shaheen Afridi was unimpressive in the first Test against Bangladesh, as he could pick only two wickets in his 30-over spell. His underwhelming outing was a primary reason behind the hosts' abysmal outing in the Test match, which they lost by ten wickets. 

Furthermore, Shaheen recently embraced fatherhood, as he welcomed his first child, a baby boy, with his wife Ansha Afridi. Several reports have claimed that the left-arm pacer might opt to sit out of the decider in order to spend some time with his wife and family. 

So, if Shaheen is rested, Mir Hamza might get a chance to play, as he was impressive in Pakistan Shaheens' four-day affair against Bangladesh A. 

Mohammad Ali

The right-arm speedster was preferred over Mir Hamza for the first Test against Bangladesh as he was better suited for the third seamer's role. 

However, Ali's performance was nothing short of disappointing, with the Bangladesh bowlers playing out his spells with ease and perfection. 

So, given the surface in Rawalpindi assisted the spinners in the first Test, Pakistan might bring Abrar Ahmed into their playing XI, with Khurram Shahzad playing as the third seamer. In such a scenario, Mohammad Ali might be the one to warm the bench in the decider. 

Agha Salman

Pakistan ignored Abrar Ahmed, going with Agha Salman as their primary spin weapon for the first Test. However, the batting all-rounder disappointed the hosts, scoring only 19 runs and failing to scalp a single wicket. 

So, considering the importance of the second Test, Pakistan might make a bold call to drop Salman and replace him with a specialist batter like Sarfaraz Ahmed in their playing XI.