'India have moved on from that state of mind': Ex-Pakistan captain points big difference in handling of Shaheen, Bumrah
The former Pakistan captain spoke in detail about the major differences in the handling of Shaheen Afridi and India's Jasprit Bumrah.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had announced the side's Asia Cup squad last week, and while its leading fast bowler Shaheen Afridi was part of the team, his participation in the continental tournament now hangs in balance. Shaheen has suffered a knee injury ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka earlier this month, and is still unfit; he is travelling with the Pakistan squad to Netherlands, however, as Babar Azam stated that the team's doctor and physio can take care of the fast bowler there.
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has now spoken in detail about Shaheen's injury, stating that his repeated calls for PCB to rest the fast bowler went in vain.
“Without Shaheen, Pakistan's attack will not be that impactful. At the same time, it's an opportunity for youngsters like Naseem Shah, Dahani. It is their chance to prove that they can also take responsibility. We often talked about minimizing the load of Afridi, to not play him everywhere, to save him. But it didn't happen. Now, he's injured and if he's not in the Asia Cup, it's an opportunity for others to prove their mettle. If the youngsters don't step up, questions will be raised on why they were not given chances earlier. Why Shaheen was played everywhere. Why he was overloaded,” said Butt on his official YouTube channel.
“Anyway, the positive thing is that the youngsters have a golden opportunity.”
Later in the video, the former Pakistan skipper also talked about Bumrah when the host pointed out that India will also be missing their leading pacer due to a back injury. However, Butt stated that India keep trying new bowlers in almost every game, and won't face the same problems as Pakistan.
“They keep playing new players in every game. Yes, there's no other bowler like him. He's their best product and one of the best in the world. So it will have an impact. But India have moved on from that state of mind. They keep changing their team in every match. So I don't think it would be a major issue. Even if there's a major issue, there's a big difference between Bumrah and others. So, others will have to ensure that the difference doesn't look that big,” said Butt.