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Cricket Players'When I said that, people took my class': Pakistan veteran's massive 'Akram, Waqar, and Akhtar' claim on Shaheen Afridi
The former Pakistan cricketer made a massive claim on Shaheen Afridi after he was ruled out of the Asia Cup with a knee injury.
Pakistan will begin their campaign in the Asia Cup 2022 against arch-rivals India on August 28 (Sunday). However, the side had received a major setback ahead of the start of the tournament, as their leading pacer Shaheen Afridi was ruled out due to a knee injury. Afridi had sustained the injury during the first Test of the series against Sri Lanka last month, and even as he traveled with Pakistan to the Netherlands to stay in close contact with the team physio, Afridi failed to recover in time.
The fast bowler, however, remains with the Pakistan squad in the UAE as it plays in the continental tournament.
Ever since Afridi was ruled out of the squad, the Pakistan team management came under the scanner over their lack of attention towards the fast bowler's workload management. Many former cricketers including captains Salman Butt and Mohammad Hafeez had previously talked about managing Afridi's workload, and following his injury ouster, former Pakistan cricketer Sikander Bakht also lashed out at the think-tank for playing Afridi consistently.
“When I wrote about it, people took my class saying that he was injured while fielding. But my point is that it is a big loss. Your main bowler, who instils fear, is not playing. You can't produce Shaheen, you can't produce Wasim Akram or Shoaib Akhtar or Waqar Younis. Shaheen is unique, he is a natural talent,” Bakht said on Geo News.
“When you have such an important player, you need to protect him,” he further said.
Earlier, Mohammad Hasnain replaced left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi in Pakistan's 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2022. The 22-year-old Mohammad Hasnain has represented Pakistan in eight ODIs picking up 12 wickets at an average of 37.91 with best bowling figures of 5/26. The pacer has played 18 T20Is for Pakistan picking up 17 wickets at an average of 30.70 with best figures of 3/37.
