Pakistan’s white-ball coach, Gary Kirsten, recently expressed concern over Shaheen Afridi’s workload while commenting during the Champions One-Day Cup.
In response, Shaheen addressed the issue by referencing two of Pakistan’s most enduring fast bowlers, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, to put things in perspective.
He stressed the importance of mental fitness over workload management, saying, “If we look at our legendary bowlers from the past, Wasim [Akram] bhai and Waqar [Younis] bhai, they didn’t have workload issues back then. I don’t know why it’s become such a big deal over the past year. It all depends on the individual player. You need to be mentally fit and strong to perform; you can’t perform while being lazy. When your body isn’t responding as you want, you need support from the management. There isn’t much workload, but we should enjoy the cricket we play,” Shaheen shared.
Despite a few injuries that have sidelined him at times, Shaheen has been a workhorse for Pakistan. He has bowled 646.1 overs across all formats, including domestic cricket, far more than any other Pakistan bowler.
In comparison, Naseem Shah, who is second on the list, has bowled only 266 overs during the same period.
Though Shaheen recently injured his knee while batting for the Lions in a One-Day Cup match, he has been named in the 15-member squad for the first Test against England, which begins on October 7.