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In defence of Pakistan’s choice to start the third
Test without star fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, team director Mohammad
Hafeez said he owed the Pakistan players a responsibility of care that went
beyond individual matches and series. He said that the player had not made the
ultimate decision; rather, it had been decided by the team management.
An already diminished Pakistan bowling assault, which
had started the series without the injured Naseem Shah, the unavailable Haris
Rauf, and the unfit Abrar Ahmed, was further undermined by Afridi’s exclusion.
The fact that Shan Masood relied on Afridi so much in the first two games
demonstrated Pakistan’s dependence on him in similar situations.
Speaking after Pakistan’s eight-wicket defeat against
Australia at the SCG,, Hafeez said he had to prioritise Afridi’s long-term
career. “He bowled really well in those two games and bowled the most of
any bowler,” he said. “When I asked him before the third Test, his
body was sore. And I need to look after him more than anything.”
The short turnaround time between the MCG and SCG
Tests proved a bridge too far for Afridi. “If someone thinks their body is
sore and they can’t deliver the best, we need to look after the career of the
individual. I will never make a decision where a player can lose his career for
six months or a year. It was a tough call but we made that decision for the
betterment of the players. Because we cannot make that decision at the cost of
a player’s career.”
There was a lot of discussion surrounding the
suggestion to bench Afridi, with some claiming the PCB was favouring T20
cricket over the lengthier format. Former Pakistan fast bowlers Waqar Younis
and Wasim Akram were the most vehement in their criticism, with Wasim disputing
the idea that Afridi had been rested by the management, arguing that the player
had made himself unavailable.
Afridi was named vice-captain of the Test team prior
to the first Test in Perth, and captain of the Pakistan T20I series in
November. His first assignment is a five-match T20I series in New Zealand from
January 12 to January 21. He has not yet taken charge of a game. The PSL comes
next, where Afridi captains the Lahore Qalandars, who have won two straight T20
titles under his leadership. June sees the United States and the West Indies
host the T20 World Cup.