Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has once again grabbed the headlines for his controversial remarks. This time, he said things that have become a topic of discussion when Shaheen Afridi is out of the Test team.
Shaheen Afridi dropped from Pakistan Test squad What’s the whole case?
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not named Shaheen Afridi in the squad for the upcoming Test series against South Africa. This news has come as a shock to the Pakistani cricket fans.
The PCB claims that Shaheen Afridi is being rested under their workload management, so that he remains in his best fitness for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
But is it just a matter of management? A lot of people think there’s something more to it. Shaheen Afridi hasn’t been in the best of form in the last few months.
He was left out of the last two Tests against England, while Babar Azam and Naseem Shah were recalled. This was not liked by many cricket fans and experts.
However, Shaheen Afridi’s performance has been severely affected since a knee injury during the tour of Sri Lanka in July 2022.
He has played just a few Test matches and picked up 17 wickets at an average of 45.47. It will be interesting to see if he can make a comeback in the home Test series against West Indies in January.
Shoaib Akhtar’s statement
Shoaib Akhtar said that if he was in the Pakistan Cricket Board, he would have directly told Shaheen Afridi that he has to bowl 150 overs. He also said that if any player had refused, his central contract would have been cancelled immediately.
Akhtar believes that Shaheen Afridi is Pakistan’s top fast bowler and there should be a proper conversation with him. He clearly said that if a player is being dropped from the team, he should be asked whether he wants to play or not.
