RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood on Tuesday, opened up on his alleged altercation with ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, stating there is no tension between the two cricketers.
During the opening Test of the two-match series between Pakistan and Bangladesh, a video of the national men’s team, standing in a huddle went viral on social media.
In the video, Shan Masood was seen placing his hand on Shaheen Afridi’s left shoulder. The pacer, however, quickly removed the captain’s hand, which triggered speculations among fans as they suspected a rift between the two players.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Test skipper Masood finally cleared the air regarding the incident and revealed that he mistakenly placed his hand on the pacer’s injured shoulder.
“I think, a [clip went viral] in which I placed my hand on Shaheen’s shoulder and he removed it. He wasn’t angry with me but was injured and was in pain,” shared Masood.
Shan Masood further revealed that Shaheen Afridi was experiencing pain in his shoulder due to a blow he sustained facing Bangladesh pacer Nahid Rana.
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In the post-match press conference, Masood also acknowledged the team’s shortcomings in their recent 2-0 series defeat against Bangladesh and apologized to the nation.
“We apologize to the nation. Our common goal should be to work for the betterment of Pakistan cricket,” Masood said.
“We need more experienced players in the Test format. I am very grateful that the selectors and all of us look at the playing XIs and selectors through a democratic lens.”
Masood highlighted Bangladesh’s strengths that paved the way for their historic victory before acknowledging that the national players need to work on their fitness to excel in the longest format of the game.
“I think, we should respect the opposition. Every opposition has its own qualities and Bangladesh’s quality was their discipline, which was more than ours in both Test matches,” said Shan.
“We need to analyze our mistakes and we made a lot of mistakes in this series.
“Test cricket demands fitness, both mental and physical, and I think, that is something we need to work on.”