Pakistan quick Shaheen Shah Afridi has dismissed any suggestions that he has been overworked, saying that "such a big deal" has been made of the topic recently.
Shaheen Afridi dismissed issues of workload despite Pakistan’s white-ball coach Gary Kirsten raising concerns about the fast bowler’s large volume of work. Kirsten had claimed that the Pakistani seamer had bowled three times more than any other fast bowler in the world in the last 18 months.
The South African deemed it as “not a good use of resources”. However, Shaheen has now quashed claims of being overworked. He believes that it depends on an individual to be mentally fit and ready while emphasising the importance of enjoying whatever game time is at one’s disposal.
“If we look at our legendary bowlers from the past, Wasim [Akram] bhai and Waqar [Younis] bhai, they did not have workload issues back then,” Shaheen told Samaa TV.
“I don’t know why we have made such a big deal about it for the past year. It all depends on the individual player. You need to be mentally fit and strong to perform; you cannot perform while being lazy. At a time when your body is not reacting the way you want, you need support from the management. There is not much workload but we should enjoy whatever cricket we play.”
What did Gary Kirsten say about Shaheen?
Shaheen has been struggling for form amid injuries and a significant drop in his pace. He was also dropped from the second Test against Bangladesh in August. Kirsten, who was among the commentators during the Champions One-Day Cup, organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said that the 24-year-old could be worn down due to the burden.
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"I saw a scary stat the other day that Shaheen Afridi in the last 18 months has bowled 3 times more overs than any other fast bowler in the world. That’s not good use of your resources. You’re going to wear him down at some point," said Kirsten.
From the start of 2023 to the time Kirsten made the comment, Shaheen had bowled 3,877 balls, or 646.1 overs across all forms of professional cricket including the domestic circuit. Australia pacer Pat Cummins bowled 592.4 overs during that period only in international matches, which proves the 56-year-old’s claim to be false.
Among Pakistan seamers, Shaheen bowled the most number of overs during the period with nearly 200 overs more than second-placed Naseem Shah (266 overs).
The fast bowler is expected to be in action next during Pakistan's home Test series against England. He has been selected in the squad for the first Test, despite seemingly suffering a knee injury during the Champions One-Day Cup.
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