‘Only a certain part of the clip is…’: Shan Masood dismisses rumours of rift with Shaheen Afridi | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Pakistan captain Shan Masood has addressed the recent speculations about a potential rift between him and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi. The rumors began circulating after Afridi was not included in the playing eleven for the second Test match against Bangladesh.
The speculation intensified when a video clip from the first Test surfaced, showing Afridi seemingly brushing off Masood’s hand from his shoulder.
However, Masood clarified that there was no disagreement between the two, explaining that Shaheen had politely removed his hand from his shoulder because it was sore after being hit by a ball during Pakistan’s innings.

Masood’s explanation has put an end to the rumors and reaffirmed the unity within the Pakistan team.
“There are no issues between us and in fact only a certain part of the clip is around but if you see the full clip you can see Shaheen had his arms around my back,” he said, as quoted by PTI.
Masood also refuted claims that Shaheen was dropped for the second Test due to that incident.

“We had a good discussion with Shaheen and we told him he remains our best bowler and needs to work and find his best rhythm and form for us as we have a lot of cricket coming up this season,” Masood said.
He also dismissed suggestions that he was concerned about his future as Pakistan’s Test captain.
“I don’t think about these things because being made captain is a privilege and until I am captain my only focus is to take the team forward. There is no doubt that losing to Bangladesh two nil is totally unacceptable for us as well.”