Jason Gillespie breaks silence on Shaheen Afridi's exclusion; claims 'Best Combination' picked

Pakistan's head coach, Jason Gillespie, revealed the reason behind the exclusion of pacers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah from the second Test against Bangladesh.

Jason Gillespie stated that they believed it was the best combination for the must-win match in the ongoing home Test series.

The Pakistan team management benched Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah for the ongoing second Test against Bangladesh.

The home team is currently on the brink of a series clean sweep. Notably, the Shan Masood-led team suffered a humiliating 10-wicket loss in the series opener.

Bangladesh is in a position to secure a historic clean sweep over Pakistan at the end of the fourth day's play in Rawalpindi.

Bangladesh needs 143 more runs to win the second and final Test. The exclusion of Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi from the team has become a major topic of discussion.

What We Thought Was The Best Combination - Jason Gillespie

Speaking to the press, Jason Gillespie said that the decision to drop Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah was based on a thorough analysis of the pitch conditions. Gillespie stated that they aimed to select the best combination for the conditions in the second and final Test match.

"So we looked at conditions and what we thought was the best combination. Taking into account what we saw before the game, reflected on the previous game, and this is where we landed," Gillespie said at the end of the day's conference.

"In the first innings, if you at one point saw, we had Bangladesh in a bit of straw. We bowled quite well, and the line and length were excellent," he added.

"We looked at the conditions and what we thought the best combination was going to be."

Jason Gillespie spoke about the decision to exclude both Shaheen Shah Afridi & Naseem Shah from the playing XI.#PAKvBAN | #PakistanCricket pic.twitter.com/RrO8GmcWQy

— Grassroots Cricket (@grassrootscric) September 2, 2024

Shaheen Afridi Is An All-Format Player - Jason Gillespie

Jason Gillespie said that the team is focusing on a collective approach rather than relying on individual players. Gillespie said that he wants Shaheen Afridi to reach his peak performance, given the team's busy schedule.

"There are a few things that we are hoping Shaheen can work on. He had a pretty eventful time in his personal life as well. We want Shaheen Afridi to be at his very best for as much cricket as possible. He is an all-format player, and we have a pretty heavy schedule, and we want him to be fit and firing," Gillespie continued.

"We are trying to build a squad mentality and not just rely on a few players. We want to create an environment and squad where we can look at conditions, look at what is coming up, and make the best and informed decisions," he further stated.

Bangladesh ended Day 4 at 42/0, with Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam at the crease. The home team dismissed Zakir in the first session of the final day. Left-arm pacer Mir Hamza provided an early breakthrough for Pakistan. They need to pick up more wickets to put Bangladesh under pressure.

Also read: Dimuth Karunaratne surpasses Sanath Jayasuriya, secures spot as Sri Lanka’s fourth-highest Test run-getter