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'Need To Look At Individual's Career' - Hafeez Responds To Wasim, Waqar; Defends Shaheen Afridi

image-lr38r80cShaheen Afridi at the MCG (x.com)

Pakistan pace maverick Shaheen Afridi was ruled out of the third Test of their three-match series against Australia. In his absence, the visitors slumped to a huge eight-wicket defeat on Day 4 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) to concede the series 0-3 to the hosts.

The decision to rest 23-year-old Shaheen received widespread criticism from several corners of the Pakistani cricketing spectrum, with former speedsters Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis also joining the bandwagon to express their astonishment.

Pakistan director of cricket and former captain Mohammad Hafeez has now cleared the air around Shaheen’s exclusion from the final Test, describing the decision as part of the workload management of the speedster.

Mohammad Hafeez justifies Shaheen’s exclusion

After sustaining huge defeats at Perth and Melbourne, Shaheen Afridi was excluded from Pakistan’s XI for the subsequent final Test of the series at the SCG. While several fans and experts had criticized the speedster for making himself unavailable, Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez has himself claimed that he was rested by the team management because of his excessive workload.

“He bowled really well in those two games and bowled the most of any bowler. When I asked him before the third Test, his body was sore. And I need to look after him more than anything," Hafeez said while speaking with the reporters after Pakistan’s defeat in the third Test.


“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.”

Earlier, legendary Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram had accused Shaheen Afridi for making himself unavailable for the SCG Test. Waqar Younis, on the other hand, expressed his surprise by describing the youngster’s absence as a “real shocker”.

A legion of fans and other cricket experts had also directed much criticism towards the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the team management for resting Shaheen from the playing XI, despite the visitors trailing 0-2 before heading into the final Test of the series.

Shaheen Afridi secured eight wickets in the first two Tests at Perth and Melbourne, which even included a sizzling four-fer at the MCG in late December. As of now, the speedster is slated to lead Pakistan in their upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand in January.