Shaheen Afridi Clears the Air on Wasim Jr’s Limited White-Ball Appearances

Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Afridi has finally addressed the ongoing conversation surrounding Mohammad Wasim Jr’s limited involvement in white-ball cricket, despite the young pacer consistently remaining part of the national setup.

People still mention Wasim Jr a lot when they talk about Pakistan's promising young fast bowlers. He has grabbed 41 wickets across 25 ODIs so far. His speed, swing, and control keep drawing compliments from everyone who watches. Even so, the fact that he has shown up in so few games over the last year has got fans and experts buzzing with all sorts of guesses.

He only got into one match in that latest ODI series against South Africa. Then there were two games versus Sri Lanka. In those, he managed to snag five wickets altogether. Things were pretty quiet for him before that on Pakistan's April tour to New Zealand. He played just two ODIs there. On top of that, he has stayed out of T20Is since January 2024.

Speaking after Pakistan’s ODI series win over Sri Lanka, Shaheen Afridi clarified that Wasim Jr’s intermittent selection had more to do with his fitness than his form.

“I think he was being rotated, but perhaps you people weren’t aware,” Shaheen said at the post-match press conference. “Wasim Junior had a few injuries, and you usually give players opportunities based on those injuries.”

Shaheen noted that although Mohammad Wasim Jr. frequently travelled with the squad, he was not always physically ready to take on back-to-back matches.

“If a player is travelling with the team but not fully fit, like Wasim Junior was with the team, but he was carrying several injuries, then the team management naturally keeps rotating him,” he added.

The Pakistan captain emphasized the importance of pacing fast bowlers through proper rehab and workload management, especially given the physical demands of pace bowling.

“When you are with the team, you still need some treatment and care,” he said. “Now that he has made a comeback in the ODIs, he has shown that he has the skill; he can reverse swing the ball very well.”

Shaheen wrapped up by reaffirming Wasim Jr’s place among Pakistan’s most impactful fast bowlers when fully fit.

“All the bowlers in the pool right now are game-changers, and they are playing good cricket throughout,” he added.