Jason Gillespie explains decision to rest Shaheen Afridi in second Test against Bangladesh

Pacer to sit out as Pakistan focuses on balancing his workload and allowing family time

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Pakistan's red-ball coach, Jason Gillespie, has provided insight into the strategic decision to exclude left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi from the lineup for the second Test against Bangladesh, set to begin on Friday, 30 August, in Rawalpindi.

During a press conference earlier today, Gillespie explained that Shaheen's absence from the upcoming match was a carefully considered decision, taking into account both personal and professional factors.

"Shaheen will sit out of this game. I had a good conversation with him, and he fully understands and appreciates the reasoning behind this decision. We're looking for the best combination for this game, and this is our direction," Gillespie stated. "As I mentioned, we will assess the conditions in the morning and decide on the exact makeup of our bowling attack. Shaheen has received some feedback, and he’s had an interesting couple of weeks—he’s a new father, he's playing all three formats, and we're seeing an opportunity to allow him to spend time with his family as well."

The former Australian fast bowler elaborated on the rationale behind the decision, emphasising the need to manage Shaheen's workload effectively.

"He’s working on a few aspects of his bowling to ensure he's as fit as possible. He’s been collaborating well with Azhar Mahmood, which has been fantastic. We certainly want to see Shaheen at his best because we have a lot of cricket ahead in all formats, and he’s going to play a big role in that. However, right now, we feel that we have all our bases covered for this particular game. But, make no mistake, Shaheen is a quality player and will play a significant role in the next 6-7 months."

Gillespie also underscored the importance of maintaining a positive and proactive approach under the leadership of captain Shan Masood.

"Shan is a very positive captain, and we want to play to win games of cricket. We showed our intent in the first game; we made the declaration because we wanted to get our opposition into bat. It obviously didn’t quite work out, but full credit to our opposition—they played really well in that first Test match. However, we will look at ways to try and win the game, and that must be how we play. I am very confident that we will have a lot of success by always taking the positive option."

Read also: Pakistan vs Bangladesh second Test: Weather update for Day 1

Despite the setback in the series opener against Bangladesh, Gillespie remains optimistic about Pakistan's chances in the second Test.

"We are just going to go out there and give our best. We've prepared very well, although we couldn't do much training today or the day before yesterday because of the weather. However, we had a fantastic session yesterday. We are very disappointed to have lost the first Test, but we have reviewed it and moved on."

Gillespie emphasised the importance of focusing on the upcoming match rather than dwelling on past defeats.

"That game is gone, and there's nothing more we can do about it now. What we can do is focus on the game starting tomorrow, and that's where we've put our energy. We've learned our lessons and hopefully can apply those learnings in this game. The lads are up and about, excited for the challenge ahead. We know it's going to be tough, but we're up for the battle and are really looking forward to it."

Pakistan has announced a 12-member squad for the final Test against Bangladesh, with the playing XI to be revealed just before the match.

Pakistan's twelve-member squad for the second Test: Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood (C), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Salman Ali Agha, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Naseem Shah, Mir Hamza