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'Never had knee injury in my life as a fast bowler but...': Akram reacts to criticism over Shaheen Afridi's 'workload'
Pakistan's bowling great Wasim Akram gave his verdict on Shaheen Afridi's injury, which ruled him out of Asia Cup 2022.
Ahead of Asia Cup 2022, Pakistan endured a big blow as their leading fast bowler Shaheen Afridi was ruled out with a knee injury. The Pakistan speedster was injured during the first Test against Sri Lanka last month and even as he stayed with the Pakistan side throughout its three-ODI tour to the Netherlands (to stay in close contact with the team physio), Afridi eventually failed to recover in time for the continental tournament.
Afridi's absence was a big setback to the Pakistan side, for whom the pacer had played a key role in its journey to the semi-finals in the previous year's T20 World Cup. The left-armer's performance in Pakistan's opening game against India was key to the side's victory, as he picked the crucial wickets of India's top-3; KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, from which the side eventually failed to recover.
Following the confirmation of his absence from Asia Cup, many former Pakistan stars and fans insisted that the PCB failed to manage Afridi's workload. However, former Pakistan captain and bowling great Wasim Akram says otherwise. During his appearance in Star Sports' press conference announcing the return of Shaz (Ravi Shastri) and Waz (Akram), the bowling great spoke in detail about the situation surrounding Afridi.
“Pakistan will miss Shaheen Afridi. He is important because he takes wickets with the new ball. In this format, everyone says that if you have to restrict the opposition, you have to get wickets with the new ball. That's what he does, he attacks the stumps. He has been consistent across formats, he has been the main bowler for Pakistan,” Akram said.
“The think-tank has been criticised for not managing his workload. But he is 21 (22), he has to play cricket. He suffered a knee injury. I never had knee injury as a fast bowler, but those who had tell me that it takes time to heal. And when you come back, you are always scared of injuring yourself again. Until you are 100 percent fit, you won't be able to bowl,” the former left-arm pacer further said.
India will take on Pakistan in their opening game of the Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday (August 28). In the absence of Afridi, 22-year-old Mohammad Hasnain was named the replacement.
