Shaheen Afridi minces no words in denying Kirsten's 'scary' overworked claim: 'Don’t know why we made such a big deal'

Shaheen Afridi, who was dropped from the second Test against Bangladesh last month, is set to return for the opening Test match against England next month

Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Afridi, on Friday, minced no words in dismissing white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten's claim that the pacer has been overworked, saying that there was never a need to make "such a big deal" out of workload management.

Shaheen Afridi denied Gary Kirsten's 'overworked' claim about him

During commentary during a Champions Cup match between Panther and Lions last week, where Shaheen was playing, Kirsten said that he was scared to learn that the left-armer bowled “three times more overs than any other fast bowler in the world” in the last 18 months.

However, Shaheen, who has been struggling to find his form across formats and was recently dropped from the Pakistan XI for the second Test against Bangladesh, denied the claims as he stressed that it depends on an individual player to be mentally and physically fit, before emphasising on the need to enjoy whatever cricket one plays.

“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.”

Shaheen Afridi set for return

The fast bowler has been recalled for the opening Test match against England, beginning October 7, as the selectors named him in the 15-member squad. The first Test will be played in Multan

Left-arm spinner Noman Ali, who was not considered for the two Tests against Bangladesh, was also named in the squad. Meanwhile, Shan Masood, who was criticised for his captaincy during the recent whitewash against Bangladesh at home, has been retained for the leadership role.

Overall, the Test series will comprise three matches, with Pakistan hoping for a revival as they stand eighth in the WTC points table with a PCT of 19.05 after just two wins in seven matches. England stand fifth with PCT of 42.19.