Gary Kirsten: “When we look at our key resources, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have carried the bulk of the workload for Pakistan across all formats”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten has admitted that he is worried about the workload of fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah.
Both players have suffered a number of injuries over the past few years and concerns have been raised about whether they are getting enough rest.
Kirsten acknowledged that this is a problem, especially in the case of Afridi, who has “bowled three times more overs than any other fast bowler in the world over the last 18 months”.
The former South Africa batsman noted that if the workload issue isn’t resolved, Afridi and Naseem will keep breaking down, which is something Pakistan can’t afford to keep happening.
“Fast bowlers are always under immense pressure to deliver and win games. When we look at our key resources, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have carried the bulk of the workload for Pakistan across all formats. Shaheen has bowled three times more overs than any other fast bowler in the world over the last 18 months. That’s alarming – you’re bound to wear him down eventually,” Kirsten was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Afridi and Naseem both played one match in Pakistan’s two-Test series against Bangladesh, with the former taking two wickets and the latter three.
Following this, Afridi captained the Lions in the Champions One-Day Cup, which was a domestic 50-over competition that took place in Faisalabad, while Naseem represented the Markhors.
Afridi finished with nine wickets in four games at an average of 29.33, while Naseem claimed six wickets in four matches at an average of 17.16.
Currently, both of them are playing in Pakistan’s three-match Test series against England. Afridi took one wicket and Naseem snapped up two in the first Test in Multan, which the men in green lost by an innings and 47 runs.
The second Test will start on October 15 in Multan.
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