Sep 04, 2024 04:55 PM IST
A video went viral where Masood can be seen standing next to Shaheen during a team hurdle when the latter removed the skipper’s arms from his shoulders.
Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood has addressed the controversy surrounding Shaheen Shah Afridi’s alleged ‘shoulder shrug’ during the first match against Bangladesh. Pakistan cricket is going through tough times, with the team underperforming across formats in the last couple of years, and the reports of a rift between the players are making things worse for them.
A video went viral in the first Test where Masood can be seen standing next to fast bowler Shaheen Afridi during a team hurdle when the latter removed the former’s arms from his shoulders. The video instantly sparked a furore among fans on social media as it indicated tension in the Pakistan cricket team.
However, after losing the Test series 0-2, Masood gave a clarification on the matter and suggested that he touch the same place on Shaheen’s shoulder where he got hit by Bangladesh pacer Nahid Rana earlier in the game.
“There’s nothing more to it,” Masood stated, downplaying any suggestions of discord.
“I think there was an incident going around where I had put my hands on Shaheen’s shoulder, and he had shrugged it off. He was not angry with me. He had got hit by Nahid Rana, and I had touched that exact place,” Masood said during the post-match press conference.
Bangladesh put a final nail in the coffin for Pakistan with their first-ever Test series win over them. The Bangla Tigers extended Pakistan’s miserable home record in Tests to 10 matches without a win. Pakistan’s last home win was in December 2021 against South Africa at Rawalpindi. Masood has suffered a second consecutive clean sweep since he was elevated to the Test skipper last year, having lost to Australia 3-0.
Masood apologises to nation
Pakistan skipper apologised to the nation after shocking first-ever Test series loss against Bangladesh.
“I take responsibility for the defeats and I apologise to the nation. But I think we need to focus on how we can improve and take our Test side forward,” Masood said in the post-match press meet.
Masood accepted that playing Test cricket after a gap of nearly 10 months was not an easy task.
“There is no excuse for losing this series and we accept that. But it is also a fact that the players also wanted to do well. But we were just not prepared for red ball cricket. We have to tolerate some failures if we are to move forward,” he added.
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