Shan Masood Clarifies Shaheen Afridi Shoulder Shrug

Published May 29, 2026 · Updated August 03, 2026

Pakistan captain Shan Masood explains the Shaheen Afridi shoulder shrug incident. Get clarity on the controversy and its impact on team dynamics. Read more.

Shan Masood, the captain of the Pakistan Test squad, has allayed mounting rumors that he and elite bowler Shaheen Afridi are at odds. Following Pakistan's devastating home Test series loss to Bangladesh, when tensions within the team were evident at many points, the speculations gained momentum. Afridi was seen in a widely shared video purportedly brushing off Masood's hand during a mid-match team meeting. This was one of the most talked-about occurrences.

Masood addressed the matter, emphasizing that Afridi had acted prudently rather than angrily. Masood clarified that Afridi took off his hand as it was resting on a spot where the bowler had been hurt. Downplaying any hints of conflict, Masood said, "There's nothing more to it."

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"I believe there was an episode where Shaheen dismissed what I had done, placing my hands on his shoulder. He didn't feel resentful of me. "I had touched that exact spot, and Nahid Rana had hit him," Masood stated at the news conference following the game.

Another episode in the series saw Masood supposedly hitting Afridi after a boundary, which increased the tension. The skipper then clarified, though, that he was upset with head coach Jason Gillespie for using an outdated ball during the game rather than with Afridi.

The second was that Jason Gillepie had me upset. However, that was untrue. Litton had made a shot that had sent our ball into the stands. It was an eight-over ball. We discovered that the ball was significantly older.It was between 18 and 19 overs old and I was arguing that we needed a better ball when I heard rumors of Shaheen's departure. So, we make an effort to use social media less throughout the series.