Pakistan had rested Shaheen Shah Afridi for the third and final Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The visiting team went with off-spinner Sajid Khan in place of the fast bowler. Shaheen took eight wickets at a good economy rate of 3.35 during the two matches in Perth and Melbourne.
Meanwhile, Pakistan men’s team director and head coach Mohammad Hafeez said Shaheen was given a break to “manage his workload”. Shaheen had also said during the Sydney Test that the team management had decided to keep him out for the last match of the series.
Mohammad Hafeez said on giving rest to Shaheen Afridi
Mohammad Hafeez was quoted as saying by India Today, “Shaheen did not take any rest at all because of T20 cricket. There was some pain in his body. He was not feeling very comfortable. As a team director, I have to ensure that no player goes into that zone where he can get injured. “I gave myself enough time to recover before that zone.”
Hafeez further said, “He has worked hard in the last one year after returning from injury and the workload on him is very high. We wanted to give him leave and manage his workload. I don’t know what happened earlier, but at this time, I wanted to ensure that no bowler’s career gets spoiled due to workload not being managed.”
Let us tell you that Shaheen Afridi was made the captain of Pakistan’s T20 team in November and was given the vice-captaincy of the Test team just before the Perth Test. He will take command of the team for the first time in T20 on New Zealand tour. T20 series will be played between Pakistan and New Zealand from 12 to 21 January.
Also Read: Fantasy Cricket Tips, Playing 11 and Pitch Report, HEA vs HUR, for Big Bash League 2023-24, Match-29