Former Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi is disappointed with Babar Azam and team management’s decision to exclude experienced leg-spinner, Yasir Shah, from playing XI against Australia. Afridi said that Yasir has been a match-winner for Pakistan over the past few years and it does not make sense to not include him in the playing eleven.
Afridi questioned the role of Sajid Khan in the team as he believes that an off-spinner does not have what it takes to win matches on pitches such as the one used for the first Test match at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
“If you have an off-spinner who can bowl doosra like Saeed Ajmal, Saqlain Mushtaq, or Muttiah Muralitharan, it is understandable. Otherwise, I don’t think there’s that big a role of an off-spinner,” Afridi stated.
The former captain said that while Sajid is a good spinner, he does not have what it takes to perform on a pitch that is slow and does not offer much bounce. He added that Yasir would have been the perfect choice for Pakistan and he would have troubled the Australian batting unit.
Earlier, Babar Azam had stated that Yasir had not been included in the side because he was not fully fit. Babar stated that Yasir needed to work on his fitness before he can make a comeback to the national side. The question arises if Yasir isn’t fully fit, why was he picked in the Test squad. Note here that Yasir is in the reserves for Test series against Australia.
Recently, Yasir proved he still has what it takes to make it to the national side as he picked up a match-winning five-wicket haul for Balochistan in the ongoing Pakistan One Day Cup.
What do you think? Should Yasir Shah be called up to the national squad? Write your suggestions!