Shaheen Afridi responds to recent criticism about missing the Sydney Test match, saying, “My priority has always been Test cricket.”

After Pakistan’s side lost the third Test match against Australia by eight wickets, they made the decision to rest Shaheen Afridi. The management of the team made it clear that the pacer would receive a rest if they lost the second match in Melbourne, following the first Test in Perth. Former players like Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, who anticipated Shaheen Afridi playing, gave the cricketer a lot of flak for this, especially when Pakistan fell behind 2-0 in the series.

Shaheen Afridi gave an explanation of how the team management decided how to handle his workload after giving it some thought. He went on to say that he would have been in the playing XI if the series had been at stake and that playing Test cricket has always been his top priority.

“There are no issues there because I am fully fit. The medical committee and team management were keen to rule out any possibility of an injury because I had bowled a little too much in the previous two tests and was extremely tired. I would have played because the nation comes first, even if there was a chance for a series win and I was 50-50. Test cricket has always been my first priority, Afridi stated in remarks made during the news conference.

Perhaps some modifications will occur, or perhaps not. Shaheen Afridi

According to rumors, Mohammad Rizwan would likely open with Saim Ayub for Pakistan in the Twenty20 International series against New Zealand. But Skipper Shaheen Afridi left the door open in case Babar returned in the future.

“Babar and Rizwan will always be the best opening pair for Pakistan. I believe there are 17 games left before the World Cup, so we should experiment with different lineups to see which players work best in different positions before attempting to use them there. There might be some adjustments, or maybe not. However, an attempt will be made to have the lineup available prior to the England visit. Before the Twenty20 World Cup, we should have known our best-playing eleven from the four Twenty20 matches against England, Shaheen Afridi said.