Pakistan National Cricket Team pacer Shaheen Afridi took a subtle dig at the head coach of the white ball Gary Kirsten for his comments about the fast bowler being overworked. He said they raised a big issue about workload management and there was no need to make “such a big deal” out of it.
Afridi has been under the scanner for some time since the last few months. This is because the fast bowler is not hitting his mark with the ball and also looks tired. The left-arm pacer was also dropped from the Pakistan team for the second Test against Bangladesh.
After that, Afridi plays in the team Champions Cupbut his performances there were not at a high level either. He captained the Lions team as they struggled with leadership in both bowling and the tournament. He was quite expensive with the ball as he was taken for a lot of runs.
In the middle of the tournament, Pakistan’s white ball coach Gary Kirsten made a public statement about Shaheen Afridi. He expressed his dismay to learn that the left-armer has scored “three times more runs than any other fast bowler in the world” in the last 18 months.
Shaheen Afridi cited the example of Pakistan greats Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis while talking about managing the players’ workload. He emphasized that there is no workload problem in the legends of the game and it all depends on the individuals. Speaking to Sama TV, he explained them as follows:
“If you look at our legendary bowlers of the past, Wasim (Akram) and Waqar (Younis) bhai, they didn’t have workload issues back then. I don’t know why we made such a big deal about it. Last year it was all about the individual player.”
There are several pundits and fans who have expressed concerns about Shaheen Afridi’s workload. They are of the view that playing cricket continuously has dried up the fast bowler and can also make him prone to injuries.
You have to be mentally fit and strong to perform – Shaheen Afridi
Shaheen Afridi further claimed that players need to be mentally fit and strong to perform. He further added that if the players’ bodies are not responding as they should, then the role of management becomes important. He said that there is not much workload and they should enjoy cricket. He added:
“You have to be mentally fit and strong to play; you can’t perform if you’re lazy. You need management support when your body doesn’t react the way you want. The workload isn’t heavy, but we have to enjoy it no matter what. We’re playing cricket.”
Shaheen Afridi will be next seen in action when he takes on Pakistan England in a three-match Test series. He has been included in the squad for the first match in Multan from October 7.
