Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt lashed out at the people hyping Shaheen Afridi’s injury. He said that the fans and pundits shouldn’t demotivate the rest of the squad and look for some solution.
Pakistan cricket team on Saturday (20th August) suffered a massive blow as premier pacer Shaheen was ruled out of the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 and the home T20I series against England.
The left-arm fast bowler suffered a right knee ligament injury and was advised 4-6 weeks of rest by the medical team. His absence will leave a massive void for Pakistan as they are all set to clash with arch-rivals India on 28th August.
Shaheen rattled India’s top order last time the two teams clashed with each other in the T20 World Cup 2021 and no doubt it’ll be a great advantage for the Indian batters, especially with their struggle against the left-arm pacers.
Following the development, many fans and pundits have raised their concerns about the pacer missing the Asia Cup. They feel that Shaheen will be a big miss and the news related to his injury has been everywhere.
Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, Salman Butt said that although he admits the kind of impact Shaheen makes but rest of the squad shouldn’t be demotivated and they should look for a solution rather than worrying.
“Is this the last India-Pakistan match? Is this the last Asia Cup? I know the kind of impact Shaheen makes. Yes, he is a key player. But should we demotivate the rest of the squad by worrying so much about it and reacting as if there is no solution? Backup players are readied for these days. Unless they play, how will they gain experience and learn?" Salman Butt said.
Butt also talked about the possibility of Mohammad Amir as a replacement. He said that the pacer has not played any competitive cricket for a while and with him being retired, there’s no point in discussing this thing.
“Mohammad Amir is a retired player. There is no place for emotional decisions in this professional field. He has not played any competitive cricket in terms of domestic or tournaments that have proper recognition.
“He plays in some leagues. He is a good bowler, in fact, an excellent bowler, no doubt about that. But he has not taken back his retirement yet. What is the point of discussing something that cannot happen?” he said.
Asia Cup 2022 is set to begin on 27th August in UAE with Sri Lanka taking on Afghanistan in the tournament opener, while the summit clash is set to take place on 11th September.
