New Delhi: Pakistan faced an embarrassing defeat against Bangladesh in the first Test match at Rawalpindi as the hosts succumbed by 10-wickets. After the defeat, various rumours about some rift between the players emerged on many social media platforms. According to multiple media reports, there were rumours about a physical alteration between pace spreadhead Shaheen Shah Afridi and skipper Shan Masood.
Further, the reports also suggested that Mohammed Rizwan, who tried to intervene and stop the fight, was caught in between and beaten up badly by the duo. These reports further tainted the image of the hosts in international cricket and showcased the lack of unity between the players. But were the duo actually involved in a physical fight?
Did they actually come to blows?
There is no factual basis for this claim, which appears to have been started by a parody account of Mufaddal Vohra, a cricket news aggregator on the X social media platform.
Shoulder incident between Masood and Shaheen leads to the rumour
What we understood of the incident was that another video got circulated which suggested a rift in the team after Shaheen removed Shan’s hand from his shoulder during the team huddle just before the start of Bangladesh first innings. The entire rumour got overblown as Shaheen removed the hand of his skipper as he had been hit on the shoulder while batting for a brief before Pakistan’s declaration. He removed the hand probably due to some discomfort he felt.
Another footage of the huddle was visible later which showed both the players with their arms around each other. Meanwhile, the second Test match, which was supposed to start from August 30, did not begin as per schedule as the first day was washed out due to incessant rain in Rawalpindi.
The reports of a physical altercation tainted the image of the hosts in international cricket and showcased the lack of unity between the players. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
