Pakistan quick Naseem Shah, who returned after a five-month injury layoff, talks about the importance of workload management among fast bowlers but admits the culture in his country does not allow the players to opt for voluntary rest.

Naseem Shah underwent shoulder surgery in October last year, less than a month after he walked off mid-way through his over during the clash against India in the Asia Cup. Only 21, he needed surgery on the right shoulder in the United Kingdom, which ruled him out of the entirety of the 2023 World Cup and the 2023/24 tour of Australia.

After making a successful comeback in the ongoing 2024 PSL, Naseem talked about how he continued playing for a few months despite a stiff shoulder before it took a turn for the worse in the Asia Cup.

Speaking to CricWick, Naseem said, “I didn’t understand it well [my shoulder]. I had stiffness for a while but after warm-ups, I would feel better. I didn’t understand it well, so I played through it. But during the Asia Cup, I had a tear and felt something tearing inside me. Later, during the surgery, I found out there was a tear of up to four or five centimetres. I felt a tear when I was bowling the last over against India. Earlier, in the tournament, I had dived and hurt my shoulder but I didn’t think it was serious as I only faced slight stiffness.”

Naseem had hurt his shoulder while diving to save a four during the competition against Bangladesh. He was in visible pain and lay with his face on the ground but returned soon after to bowl. The incident provided him insights on handling injuries.

Workload management plays a key role, thinks Naseem: “Managing the workload is obvious nowadays because of the schedule and travel, especially for fast bowlers. I am speaking from experience that I have made those mistakes. You keep playing and playing but you are a human and your body gets tired and that’s why you get injured.”

However, he revealed that workload management is an alien concept Pakistan cricket, and players often do not speak up about wanting rest due to insecurity or a fear of having their commitment questioned: “I think, unfortunately, in Pakistan, the case is different. Here, the situation is such that if a newcomer performs in one game, the main bowlers are afraid of their place in the XI and wonder if they will be retained for the next game. That fear does not allow players to rest because sometimes when you rest, your career can end up resting in peace.

“There’s also a fear among players and our culture is such that if we say our bodies aren’t 100 percent or we are tired, there will be a lot of chatter about our commitment towards playing. Even the players start talking about you so you don’t take rest voluntarily.

“The way to avoid that could be if the physio or bowling coach pre-decides the number of games you will play in a series. It will always be better. It [workload management] should happen but it is not in our culture.”

Recently, Haris Rauf’s central contract was terminated by the PCB after he pulled out of Pakistan’s tour of Australia last year citing fitness and workload issues.

Subscribe to the Wisden Cricket YouTube channel for post-match analysis, player interviews, and much more.