Former all-rounder, Yasir Arafat, has said that it is important for Pakistani players to improve their skills and fitness when they play across formats, especially Shaheen Shah, whose speed is getting lower in red-ball cricket due to fatigue factor.
Speaking to Cricket Den, he said, “I’ve said this before that this is the time players should work on their skill level and fitness. Shaheen Afridi is an example. I get very excited when he bowls but his speed graph is getting lower. He bowls close to 90 mph but in Test cricket, his average speed drops to 83-84 mph. This is an alarming sign.”
While discussing the busy schedule of some of the leading players, the former cricketer said that he himself played a lot of County Cricket but playing too much cricket with no gap produces the risk of injuries.
“I’ve played a lot of County cricket myself, but my reason was different as I didn’t get a lot of chances to play for Pakistan. I had the availability of time and got the chance to play in the summers. But these players including Rizwan, and Shaheen, are already playing so much cricket in all three formats of the game. There are a lot of leagues as well and there is no gap.”
While praising these superstars, Yasir said, “It is very clear that there is demand for Pakistan players in the whole world due to the way we are playing our cricket.”
Yasir further said that the cricket board should devise a long-term plan for those players who are the regular part of three formats if they want them to perform well in the upcoming T20 World Cup and other events.
“Pakistan Cricket Board should look into this and the A category players who are already playing three formats and especially fast bowlers. There should be a long-term plan for them,” he said.
“If you have to aim for the T20 World Cup and Asia Cup and other series too since we have point-based events. If your premium players get over fatigued and injured, you have no backup whatsoever,” he concluded.
