The star fast bowler of Pakistan cricket team Shaheen Afridi has been left out of the Pakistan team for the second Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, beginning on August 30.

While the head coach of Pakistan Jason Gillespie stopped short of saying he had been dropped, he said Afridi was “working on some things” to improve his effectiveness. Pakistan named a 12-man squad on the eve of the match, which included leg spinner Abrar Ahmed and fast bowler Mir Hamza.

Gillespie said, “Shaheen’s missed out this game. We’ve had a good conversation with him, and he fully understands and appreciates the thinking behind it. Shaheen’s been given some feedback. He’s working on some things with his bowling to be as effective as he possibly can be. He’s working really well with Azhar Mahmood. We want to see Shaheen at his best because we’ve got a lot of cricket in all formats and Shaheen’s going to play a really big role in that.”

The head coach further said, “Shaheen’s had an interesting last couple of weeks. He’s a new father. We’re seeing an opportunity where we’re able to allow him to go and spend some time with his family as well.”