No workload management! Aaqib Javed reveals real reason for Shaheen Afridi’s absence from Test squad

Shaheen Afridi’s exile from the Pakistan Test team has surprised many. When he was released by the Pakistan team after the first Test of the three-match series against England at home last year, he was expected to be recalled to the squad for the series in South Africa.

With conditions in South Africa favorable for fast bowlers, it looked very likely that the pacer would find a place in the Pakistan team. However, the selectors and team management decided otherwise as they did not recall the left-arm Pacer.

Reports then stated that the reason behind Shaheen Afridi’s absence from the Test team was workload management. In the absence, Pakistan lost both Tests against the African outfit. Prior to the Test series, Afridi played in the T20i and ODI series against the Proteas.

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Aaqib javed at Shaheen Afridi’s absence:

Pakistan caretaker coach Aaqib Javed has revealed the reason behind Shaheen Afridi’s absence from the Test squad. He was interacting with the media ahead of the second Test against the West Indies when one of the reporters asked him the reason for Afridi not playing the Cape Town Test against South Africa.

In response, Javed made it clear that the Pakistan selectors did not pick him in the team because he no longer plays four-day cricket. He claimed that not getting enough match practice for a Test match affects the pace of the bowlers and is the main reason behind Afridi’s absence from the Test. Javed also urged Pakistan’s bowlers to prepare for the Tests by playing red-ball cricket on the domestic circuit.

There is cricket and one-day Test cricket. With so much cricket being played nowadays, if you play all three formats, you could play Tests for a series, but for the next three months, you don’t play any four-day cricket. So when you come back to Test matches, you have to rebuild yourself to bowl in this format,” Javed said.

“This is one of the reasons why fast bowlers, when they block 20-25 in a day, struggle to maintain the energy needed to get the enders off the tail towards the end.

“If Shaheen Afridi had played, Mohammad Abbas would not have played. It was because of Abbas that the match came as close as it did.

So all these bowlers need to focus on preparing for the test matches by playing four-day cricket before the series. Only then will they build the stamina needed for Test-level cricket,” he added.

So Aqib Javed dropped Shaheen Afridi from Tests because he doesn’t play four-day cricket. pic.twitter.com/by6tr2v2tk

– Salman 🇵🇰 (@salmanasif2007) January 24, 2025

Meanwhile, Pakistan have taken an unassailable 1-0 lead in the ongoing two-match Test series against the West Indies. They won the first test by 127 runs. The second test will start on Saturday (January 25).