PCB urged to treat Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah like Jasprit Bumrah by Pakistan coach Jason Gillespie
Jason Gillespie had a request for the PCB regarding Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah's workload management.
The past few months have been a whirlwind for Pakistan cricket. There have been a series of disappointments for the side, starting from a poor ODI World Cup last year, where it finished fifth, which immediately followed Babar Azam's resignation from captaincy. While Shaheen Afridi was named the new captain in limited-overs formats, he, too, was removed following a 1-4 series defeat to New Zealand earlier this year.
Babar was reinstated as captain, but the results didn't improve. Pakistan endured a torrid outing in the T20 World Cup last month, and the side faced a shock defeat by the United States in its first match. Pakistan was eventually knocked out in the group stage, with the side facing severe criticism back home.
Things haven't improved since then, with multiple reports stating that head coach Gary Kirsten alleged there was no unity in the side, and further writing in his report that Shaheen Afridi misbehaved with coaches throughout the past few tours.
Amid the tumultuous time for the side, Jason Gillespie, the side's red-ball head coach, addressed a press conference where he spoke about his plans for the side; Shan Masood leads Pakistan in Test cricket, and Gillespie touched upon multiple topics pertaining to the side's red-ball campaign this year.
He also talked about Pakistan's two main fast bowlers, Shaheen and Naseem Shah, and urged the Pakistan Cricket Board to address their workload management. While Shah was forced to skip the ODI World Cup last year after enduring a shoulder injury, Shaheen has relentlessly been on the road since Asia Cup 2023.
“Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah are multi-format cricketers and also participate in franchise cricket. They cannot play every match. We'll try to give them rest in less important matches. Over the past year, Shaheen has bowled three times more than Mitchell Starc. How can he manage such a workload? We need to take care of him,” said Gillespie, as quoted by journalist Saj Sadiq on X.
Bumrah's workload management a good example
One of the best examples of workload management has been Jasprit Bumrah, who produced an incredible performance for India in the T20 World Cup last month, playing a key role in the side's victorious campaign. Bumrah returned to cricketing action after a back injury in August 2023 and played only in selected tournaments, the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup, before being rested for a limited-overs bilateral series.
Before the T20 World Cup, Bumrah only played Test series against South Africa (away) and England (home); in the latter, he was given rest for one of the five Tests, too.
