Shaheen Shah Afridi has shed light on the decision behind his exclusion from Pakistan’s third Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. 

While talking to foreign sports channel, Shaheen acknowledged the necessity of resting and explained that the management opted for “workload management” due to the significant number of overs he bowled in the first two Tests in Perth and Melbourne.

Despite missing the Sydney Test, Shaheen had a notable performance in the earlier matches, securing eight wickets, including a four-wicket haul in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“I played two games, and a lot of overs to be honest. They’re just managing my workload, the medical team and team management decided to take a rest for this (Test),” Shaheen said.

Expressing his disappointment about missed opportunities on the field during the Australian tour, Shaheen highlighted the impact of dropped catches.

“I think that I can take more wickets, but unfortunately, catches win matches, and unfortunately we missed those opportunities on the field most of the time. It has been a good tour so far and the last game that we played was quite awesome. As a bowling unit, and as a team, we gave our best, the result was not in our hands, but we tried,” he further added.

🗣️ “I played two games, and a lot of overs to be honest. They’re just managing my workload, the medical team and team management decided to take a rest for this (Test).”@copes9 chats with Shaheen Afridi about the decision to not play at the SCG, and plenty more #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/VuNCaIeB1K

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 3, 2024

Despite their efforts, Pakistan, led by Shan Masood, is currently trailing the series 0-2, enduring a challenging streak of 18 consecutive Test losses on Australian soil.