In response to Gary Kirsten, the team’s white-ball head coach, raising worries over Shaheen Shah Afridi’s workload, the ace fast bowler for Pakistan has answered. Concerned that Afridi’s bowling workload would be too high and cause injury, Kirsten had voiced her concerns. Afridi has bowled a lot more overs than other fast bowlers in the last eighteen months, as the former South African opener had pointed out. He cautioned that Afridi would ultimately get exhausted by this.

But in Afridi’s opinion, the focus on workload management in the present era is often exaggerated, especially when contrasted with the great bowlers of history.

“To begin with, if you’re claiming that, among Test cricket bowlers, I have bowled the most in the world? However, if you go back in time, you’ll see that there was no workload problem for any of our legendary bowlers, including Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, as reported by the Tribune.

“I don’t know why, but over the last year, the issue of athletes being hurt and workload has been quite popular. We now see it as being more significant. It is contingent upon each player’s style of play inside certain forms. You must have a good mental health foundation and know how to respond under pressure,” he said.

“You need the management’s support during this brief time, as well as the encouragement of those closest to you. I’m not sure how much labor is involved, but I think that everyone should have fun, no matter the format,” he said.

Gary Kirsten Expresses Worries

Afridi and Naseem Shah, who are both essential to Pakistan’s bowling attack, are burdened with a heavy workload in all forms, as Kirsten has previously said. Kirsten expressed doubts about the long-term viability of such a demanding effort and said that the two top fast bowlers may suffer injuries.

However, Shaheen Afridi’s position offers another viewpoint at a time when athletes and coaches are becoming more circumspect about controlling effort to prolong careers.