Salman Butt: “Shaheen Afridi’s presence is vital for Pakistan cricket with an important season ahead. While his commitment is commendable, playing in less crucial matches could risk his long-term fitness”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has stressed the need for pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi’s workload to be managed properly.
Ever since he suffered back-to-back knee injuries, Afridi has struggled to get back to the dominant force he was.
Lately, the 24-year-old played in Pakistan’s white-ball series against Australia and took eight wickets in three ODIs at an average of 12.62.
He wasn’t as successful in the T20Is, claiming one wicket in three matches at an average of 107.
Pakistan toured Zimbabwe after this, but Afridi was rested for it.
The men in green triumphed 2-1 in both the ODI and T20I series.
Going forward, Salman wants the men in green to keep a close eye on Afridi’s workload and ensure he is fit to play in the team’s most important matches.
“Shaheen Afridi’s presence is vital for Pakistan cricket with an important season ahead. While his commitment is commendable, playing in less crucial matches could risk his long-term fitness. It’s important to prioritise his longevity for the bigger challenges ahead,” he said on Facebook.
Pakistan are now playing a T20I series against South Africa and Afridi has snapped up three wickets in the first two matches.
The 3rd T20I will take place on December 15 in Johannesburg.
Once the T20Is are done, Pakistan and South Africa will play three ODIs and two Tests, which will get underway on December 17 and December 26 respectively.
Pakistan Squad for South Africa T20I Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha
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