Asia Cup 2022: "Questions Will Be Asked Why Shaheen Afridi Was Played Everywhere, Why He Was Overloaded" - Salman Butt After Pacer's Injury Concerns

Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt feels that Pakistan’s bowling attack will be subpar without the likes of pace spearhead, Shaheen Afridi, who is nursing an injury ahead of the Asia Cup.

Shaheen sustained a knee injury during the second Test against Sri Lanka. He hasn’t recovered from the injury and his participation in the tournament remains doubtful. If the youngsters fail to step up in his absence, there will be serious concerns, as per Butt.

“Without Shaheen, Pakistan’s attack will not be that impactful. At the same time, it’s an opportunity for youngsters like Naseem Shah, Dahani. It is their chance to prove that they can also take responsibility. We often talked about minimizing the load of Afridi, to not play him everywhere, to save him. But it didn’t happen.”

“Now, he’s injured and if he’s not in the Asia Cup, it’s an opportunity for others to prove their mettle. If the youngsters don’t step up, questions will be raised on why they were not given chances earlier. Why Shaheen was played everywhere. Why he was overloaded,” said Butt on his official YouTube channel.

“They keep changing their team in every match” – Salman Butt on why India doesn’t have injury concerns

Speaking about the Indian bowling attack, Butt said that they give chances to the rest of the bowlers and rotate the main strike bowlers, mainly Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, well.

“They keep playing new players in every game. Yes, there’s no other bowler like him. He’s their best product and one of the best in the world. So it will have an impact. But India have moved on from that state of mind.”

“They keep changing their team in every match. So I don’t think it would be a major issue. Even if there’s a major issue, there’s a big difference between Bumrah and others. So, others will have to ensure that the difference doesn’t look that big,” said Butt.

Also Read – WI vs NZ: Shimron Hetmyer Returns To ODI Squad; Kevin Sinclair Likely To Make Debut