Pakistani bowler Junaid Khan believes that speed star Shaheen Shah Afridi and leg-spinner Shadab Khan should not have participated in the ongoing T20 Blast in England.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Khan said that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should be careful about the senior players of the national team as the World Cup is around the corner and their form cannot be compromised.
He believed that cricketers would need to be in top form by the time the mega event approaches.
“In my opinion, it would have been better if the board had not allowed it [Shaheen] to play and advised them to work on their fitness and get some rest because the World Cup is around the corner, and there are more series ahead, and we need that. This is not required in the league. They are the backbone of the Pakistani team,” Junaid said.
Justifying his claim, he added: “Shaheen Afridi is playing in all three formats for PCB, he recently came back from injury, and you must have seen that he has played only two so far. Played matches, and struggled in both games.”
Furthermore, the Pakistani cricketer said: “Shadab already has some fitness issues, and he has been allowed to play in the league, in my opinion PCB should think about these things”.
However, Junaid believes that league cricket in England will be beneficial for youngsters like leg-spinner Usama Mir and fast bowler Zaman Khan.
Just like Usama Mir and Zaman Khan came to participate in the league, these are the youngsters who have come here to learn, just like I learned a lot when I came here in the beginning, the players who play T20 cricket or just Play one. or two matches, when you allow such players to participate in leagues they learn a lot, but when you allow players like Shaheen and Shadab and God forbid they injure themselves, who is responsible? Will it be?” he concluded.
Apart from the mentioned players, experienced fast bowler Hasan Ali, stylish left-arm opening batsman Shan Masood, left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar and top-order batsman Haider Ali are also in action in the tournament.