MELBOURNE: In defense of Pakistan’s choice to start the third Test without star fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, team director Mohammad Hafeez said he owed the Pakistan players a responsibility of care that went beyond individual matches and series. He said that the player had not made the ultimate decision; rather, it had been decided by the team management. After Pakistan lost against Australia by eight wickets at the SCG, Hafeez stated that he had to put Afridi’s long-term future first. “He bowled really well in those two games and bowled the most of any bowler,” he stated. “His body hurt when I asked him before the third test. And above all, I have to take care of him. “The removal of Afridi severely undermined Pakistan’s already thin bowling squad. Shan Masood frequently went to Afridi in the first two games, demonstrating Pakistan’s trust on him in such situations. Afridi bowled just short of 100 overs in two Test matches. At the end of the second Test, off spinner Nathan Lyon was the second-busiest bowler, having bowled fewer than 70 overs. No fast bowler, even those who played three Tests, bowled anywhere close to that amount.
For Afridi, the brief interval between the MCG and SCG Tests proved to be too much to handle. “If someone thinks their body is sore and they can’t deliver the best, we need to look after the career of the individual.””I will never make a choice that causes a player to miss six months or a year of action in his career. Although it was a difficult choice, we went with it because it would benefit the players. Since we are unable to decide that at the expense of a player’s career.”
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There was a lot of discussion surrounding the suggestion to bench Afridi, with some claiming the PCB was favoring T20 cricket over the lengthier format. Former Pakistan fast bowlers Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram were the most vehement in their criticism, with Wasim disputing the idea that Afridi had been rested by the management, arguing that the player had made himself unavailable.
Wasim stated on Fox Cricket, “Let’s not pretend this has anything to do with the management.”Waqar described Afridi’s absence as “a real shocker” and claimed it “made me laugh”. Because he looked good in the previous games, I was anticipating him to play in this Test match. The pace was improving as he began to swing the ball and felt more like the former Shaheen Afridi.”Afridi was named vice-captain of the Test team prior to the first Test in Perth, and captain of the Pakistan T20I series in November.His first assignment is a five-match T20I series in New Zealand from January 12 to January 21. He has not yet taken charge of a game.
