Ahmed Shehzad questions PCB’s decision to keep Shaheen out of second Test against Bangladesh

Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shehzad has expressed his displeasure over the decision to exclude left-arm bowler Shaheen Afridi from the squad for the second Test match against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.

Shehzad admitted that while Afridi’s performances and attitude have been questioned, he does not think dropping him from the squad is a comprehensive solution to Pakistan’s recent cricketing failures.

“You lost to Zimbabwe; you lost to Ireland; you lost to the United States; you lost to India; and now you lost to Bangladesh. Is Shaheen Afridi the only one responsible for all this?” Shehzad asked in a video posted on his “X” account.

The opening batsman felt that Afridi should not bear the entire blame for Pakistan’s poor performance. He stressed the need for a more holistic approach to address the team’s problems.

“Shaheen Afridi will not be held fully responsible for all this. So, call all those who were involved in this. Tell the country. So, it is wrong to blame all this on Shaheen Afridi,” he added.

“Yes, he performed poorly, he had an attitude problem, and you gave up on him, which is a good thing. But what about the other people involved? How did the others perform?” he questioned.

The 32-year-old also criticised the performances of Abdullah Shafiq and Saim Ayub and highlighted the difficulties Babar Azam has faced with the bat in recent times.

“How has Abdullah Shafiq performed in the last eight Test matches? How has Syed Ayub performed after 25 matches? How has Babar Azam performed in the last 14 Test matches? So as long as they are banned, no surgery will be done; Pakistan will not be on the right track.

“Some decisions have to be made. Those who were involved and did not perform well have to be held accountable,” he said.

He also stressed that the country’s cricket system must prioritise collective responsibility over individual blame.

“Because nobody is greater than cricket and country. Country is above everything. No matter how many people do PR, no matter how many people hide behind personal milestones, no matter how many people buy boards, no matter how much money someone invests, we know everything,” he said.

“And those who are running the affairs of the PCB, they also know everything. So, it is time, not just one person, if you really want to go in the right direction, then you have to take all of them to the gutter. It is not going to work,” he concluded.