'Is only Shaheen Afridi responsible for Pakistan's defeats?' - Ahmed Shehzad slams PCB for dropping pacer in 2nd Bangladesh Test

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reacted to the team's embarrassing 10-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the first Rawalpindi Test last week by leaving out their most experienced pacer Shaheen Afridi from the squad for the must-win second encounter, which begins on Friday, August 30. However, this move was slammed by former Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad, who opined that Shaheen was being made a scapegoat.

Shaheen looked off-colour in the first Test as he bagged two wickets from 30 overs in the first innings, conceding 88 runs on an unresponsive pitch. In the second innings, he bowled only a couple of overs before Bangladesh raced to their 30-run target with consummate ease. Pakistan announced a 12-man squad for the second and final Test match on Thursday, August 29, and Shaheen was the notable absentee.

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Shehzad acknowledged that Shaheen's performances and attitude have been areas of concern but dropping him isn't the only solution to Pakistan's recent debacles as others have to take accountability as well.

“You lost to Zimbabwe; you lost to Ireland; you lost to the USA; you lost to India; now you lost to Bangladesh. Is Shaheen Afridi only responsible for all of this?” Shehzad asked in a video posted on his 'X' handle.

“Shaheen Afridi won’t be solely responsible for all of this. So, bring all those people who were involved in all of this. Tell this country. So, it is wrong to blame Shaheen Afridi for all of this. Yes, his performances are low, his attitude is problematic, you dropped him, that’s a good thing. But what about the rest of the people involved in all of this? What about the rest of the performances?” he continued.

Ahmed Shehzad questions Pakistan top-order's performance in recent games

Shehzad criticised Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub for their performances. The cricketer-turned-expert also pointed out Babar Azam's quiet run with the bat in recent times.

“What about Abdullah Shafique’s performance in the last 8 Test matches? What about Saim Ayub’s performance after 25 matches? What about Babar Azam’s performance in the last 14 Test matches? So just by barring them, there won’t be any surgery; there won’t be any Pakistan team on the right track. There are some decisions that will have to be taken. And those people who are involved in all of this, whose performances are low, they will also have to be held accountable,” he said.

Shehzad, who was part of Pakistan's T20 World Cup-winning side in 2009, said that no one is above the country and everyone will have to suffer the consequences of their actions if the Asian giants are to bring back their glory days.

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“Because no one is greater than cricket and the country. The country is above everything else. No matter how many people run PR, no matter how many people hide behind personal milestones, no matter how many people buy boards, no matter how much money someone invests, we know everything. And those who are handling the helm of affairs in PCB, they also know everything. So, now the time has come that not just one person, if you really want to go in the right direction, then you will have to bring all of them to the gutter. This won’t work," the 32-year-old stated.