LONDON: Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja believes fast bowler Shaheen Afridi’s absence from the Test side is linked to broader issues beyond his knee injury.
Ramiz recently appeared on a podcast alongside England’s legendary cricketers Sir Alastair Cook, David Lloyd, Michael Vaughan and Phil Tufnell, in which he was asked about Shaheen Afridi’s absence from Pakistan’s Test side.
“I don’t know what’s happened with him, so obviously he’s not 100% after that knee injury. But people say there’s an attitude problem as well. I don’t know; I don’t know him well enough,” Raja said.
Raja also suggested that Shaheen’s attitude and treatment within the team could have affected his performances.
“But there’s just a general feeling in the dugout that he’s not 100% there all the time, so mood swings, not being treated properly, and administrative lapses do figure into his performance on the field as well,” he continued.
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The former PCB chairman expressed concerns over the approach of categorising some players as future white-ball assets.
“There are two or three players in the PSL circuit who have been categorised as white-ball future assets, but that’s not going to work,” he stated.
Ramiz said players aspiring to play Test cricket must be prepared for challenging tours such as England and Australia, where they are under significant scrutiny and have an opportunity to establish themselves.
“If you want to play Test cricket and come here to England, for example, or go to Australia, you can’t be like this. The world’s eyes are on you when you’re playing a series against England, and this is a great time to make a name for yourself,” he concluded.
Pakistan are currently involved in a three-match Test series against England. Shaheen was not part of the tours of the West Indies or England. He was dropped from the Test side after the first Test against Bangladesh in May.
