Srinagar: Adressing the controversy surrounding Shaheen Afridi not playing Sydney Test due to upcoming New Zealand T20’s, the Pakistan team director cum coach Mohammad Hafeez has defended resting star pacer.
Pakistan suffered 8 wicket defeat in Sydney Test vs Australia thus lost series 3-0.
“We took the decision to rest Shaheen and manage his workload because we didn’t want his body to be adversely affected. In the last one year since his return from injury, he has worked hard, and the workload on him has been massive. We wanted to give him a break and manage his workload. I don’t know what’s happened previously, but at this time, I wanted to make sure that no bowler’s career is spoiled due to their workload not being managed,” Mohammad Hafeez said in a post match press conference.
“Shaheen did not rest because of T20 cricket at all. It’s not because he wants to play T20 cricket. It’s clear that his body was a bit sore. He wasn’t feeling very comfortable that his body would be able to respond appropriately. As the team director, I have to ensure that no player goes into a zone where he suffers an injury. So before that happens, I wanted to ensure he has enough time to recover,” he said.