"You’re bound to wear him down eventually" - Gary Kirsten warns against excess workload for Shaheen Shah Afridi amid busy schedule
Pakistan's white-ball coach Gary Kirsten has raised workload concerns for Shaheen Shah Afridi as a host of Test matches and the 2025 Champions Trophy looms. The former Team India head coach observed that the youngster has sent down three times more overs than any other pacer in the last 18 months.
Pakistan have quite a busy schedule leading up to March as they will play Tests at home against England and the West Indies. Sandwiched between them is an away red-ball series against South Africa and the limited-overs tour of Zimbabwe and Australia.
The Men in Green are scheduled to play a tri-nation series, involving New Zealand and South Africa at home and the Champions Trophy in February 2025. It all culminates in March with a five-game T20I series in March 2025.
Speaking to reporters, Kirsten warned that the youngster risks burning out if his workload is this high over a period of time. As quoted by cricketpakistan.pk, he said:
"Fast bowlers are always under immense pressure to deliver and win games. When we look at our key resources, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have carried the bulk of the workload for Pakistan across all formats.
"Shaheen has bowled three times more overs than any other fast bowler in the world over the last 18 months. That's alarming — you’re bound to wear him down eventually."
The 24-year-old's recent performances have taken a hit and he was quite ineffective during the Test series at home against Bangladesh. He only played in the opening Test and had figures of 32-0-96-2 and had been left out of the second game.
Shaheen Shah Afridi is currently captaining the Lions in the Champions One-day Cup
Meanwhile, the left-arm speedster is currently playing for the Lions in the Champions One-day Cup alongside the country's top cricketers. The Lions are yet to win a game, having lost both to the Panthers and the Stallions.
Nevertheless, the former Pakistan T20I skipper has delivered promising performances so far, taking five wickets in two matches at 24 apiece.