Pakistan head coach expresses concerns about Shaheen Afridi's performance under pressure

Pakistan's white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten has expressed apprehensions over the hectic schedule that his fast bowlers are facing. The team's recent struggles in red-ball cricket were evident as they suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat at the hands of Bangladesh. Kirsten is keen on addressing the workload management of his bowlers to ensure they remain fit and perform at their best in upcoming matches.

They are set to host England and West Indies at home in Test matches before the 2025 Champions Trophy. Sandwiched in this schedule is also a red-ball tour of South Africa and a limited-overs tour of Zimbabwe and Australia.

Kirsten was commentating during the Champions Cup, a tournament being organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board in which almost all of the men's team's first-choice players were playing. “Fast bowlers are always under immense pressure to deliver and win games. When we look at our key resources, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have carried the bulk of the workload for Pakistan across all formats,” he said.

“I saw a stat the other day that Shaheen has bowled three times more overs than any other fast bowler in the world over the last 18 months. That's alarming — you’re bound to wear him down eventually,” said Kirsten.

Having failed to win their last four Test series at home, Pakistan's entire cricket setup has come under fire from a number of former players. Their recent 2-0 defeat against Bangladesh marked many unwanted firsts. Bangladesh's 10-wicket victory in the first Test was their first time beating Pakistan away from home in a red-ball match. It was also Bangladesh's first 10-wicket win in any Test match. Their series win was their first against a team away from home other than the West Indies or Zimbabwe.

Afridi was not included in the Pakistan squad for the second Test in the series. Test coach Jason Gillespie said that Afridi did not fit into the best combination that they had worked out for the second match. "We had a good conversation with him and he fully understands we are looking at the best combination for this game and the last few weeks have been interesting for him with fatherhood and other things, this break will allow him to spend time with his family," Gillespie had said.