AUS vs PAK: Waqar Younis blasts Pakistan team management for resting Shaheen Afridi in Sydney Test
AUS vs PAK: Waqar Younis blasts Pakistan team management for resting Shaheen Afridi in Sydney Test
Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis has blasted the Pakistan team management after opting to rest Shaheen Shah Afridi for the final Test match against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The contest started on Wednesday (Jan 3) and saw the visitors make two notable changes to the Playing XI with Afridi and Imam-ul-Haq both making way for Sajid Khan and Saim Ayub, with the latter making his debut. However, according to Waqar, dropping Afridi was a ‘shocker’ to him considering there were points up for grabs in the World Test Championship (WTC).
Waqar takes a dig at Afridi
"We play for Test match cricket; we don't play for T20s or one-day cricket. If you're missing Test match cricket purely because you're being rested, I do not understand. That's a real shocker for me," Waqar was quoted as saying to the broadcasters before the match.
Afridi did not start on a high and scalped only two wickets in the opening Test in Perth with an aggregate of 172 runs given in both innings. However, he was more effective in the second Test in Melbourne where he ended with figures of 2/85 & 4/76.
Afridi out, Sajid Khan in
Having struggled with injuries in the last 24 months, game management has been a key factor in Afridi’s run in the team. Pakistan were beaten convincingly in the first two Test matches. Earlier, team director Mohammad Hafeez had backed his side for a resolute show in the Boxing Day Test. With the series already lost, team management decided against using the injury-prone Afridi. Instead, Pakistan have played one extra spinner in the form of Sajid Khan who was called in as a replacement for the injured Abrar Ahmed.
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In another change, Imam-ul-Haq was dropped in favour of debutant Saim Ayub with little experience in first-class cricket. The 21-year-old has only played 14 first-class games and will face the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. Imam’s omission from the side came after a net return of 94 runs in four innings in the tour.
Pakistan Playing XI:
Shan Masood (captain), Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza, Aamir Jamal.
