It’s late evening in Pakistan when a press release from the PCB pops up on the feed, long after the first day of the second Test against Bangladesh has been washed out. What happened now, you wonder?

Surprisingly, there is nothing remarkable about the release itself. It’s barely 60 words long, and can almost fit into a tweet. There’s nothing in it we don’t know already. Here it is, in full:

“The team management has decided to release Shaheen Shah Afridi from the Test squad to allow him to spend time with his family. Shaheen, who featured in the first Test against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 20 to 25 August, is not part of the 12-member squad announced on Thursday for the second Test match.”

We knew Shaheen Shah Afridi had been released from the squad: it was confirmed yesterday itself, when a XI was named, and he wasn’t in it. One-nil down in a two-Test series, it was obviously going to raise eyebrows. Head coach Jason Gillespie teased without using the actual word, but by the looks of it, you understood he had been dropped.

Also read: How did Pakistan get to the point of dropping Shaheen Shah Afridi?

“Good conversation”, “he fully understands and appreciates”, “he’s working on some things”, “we want him at his best”.

In the same breath, Gillespie got in the family angle. Shaheen became a father during the first Test, and the coach made it clear he’ll be allowed to go and spend time with his family.

“We're seeing an opportunity where we're able to allow him to go and spend some time with his family as well.”

“As well”.

Gillespie’s “we want him at his best” comment is a clear indicator that Shaheen is falling short of his own standards. Last year, he averaged nearly 40 with the ball from eight innings. In the first Test, he managed two wickets – Bangladesh’s No.8 and No.9 – in the first innings.

But why not say it?

Back to the release: was it even required in the first place? It cleared up nothing, only fuelling more speculation around a player who’s already the centre of rumours over a perceived fallout with the current captain, Shan Masood.

If nothing was said, it would have been assumed Shaheen was indeed dropped over form, a surprise non-selection nonetheless, but one that came with a message. The England Tests are in October, giving Shaheen a clear goal to focus on. Instead, what this has done is cause more confusion.

Social media speculation has led to false reports in some outlets that Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi were involved in a physical fight during the first Test against Bangladesh.

Discover the truth behind these claims here: https://t.co/J1z49i5r6A pic.twitter.com/o0B2nsUoeA

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) August 30, 2024

Was it Shaheen himself who wanted something said? Perhaps, there was a desperation to cull the growing chatter around the d-word. We know Shaheen has been disgruntled, with good reason, with PCB pronouncements in the past. He was named T20I captain last year, only to be sacked five matches later. Earlier this year, he was “furious” after the PCB website carried quotes attributed to him, which were, in fact, fake. More recently, he was removed from vice-captaincy duties.

Did influence, a word never to be detached from Pakistan cricket, push for a statement to be released? His father-in-law, Shahid Afridi, lashed out at Babar Azam in June for “not supporting” Shaheen, and taking back the captaincy immediately last year.

The latest twist has led to further conjecture, with reports saying Shaheen was left “shocked and disheartened” after being… let’s say it: dropped. And now Naseem Shah has been ‘rested’ too, Pakistan’s two premier quicks absent from a game they must win to avoid the ignominy of a first Test series defeat to Bangladesh.

So we’re left with more questions than answers. Don’t expect the matter to be cleared up any time soon.

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