Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt believes county cricket is not superior for pacesetter Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Butt is concerned about Shaheen’s workload after joining Middlesex for the current season.
“Shaheen is our best bowler in all three formats,” Butt said on the Cricket Baaz YouTube channel. “I don’t know if you’ve looked at his workload, but county cricket isn’t ideal for him.
He’s not someone who can’t bowl in England. So why risk such a weary bowler, especially when he needed to rest ahead of the following two World Championships a year? The Test Championship and the Asian Cup are important, but county cricket isn’t quite there as far as Shaheen is concerned.
Butt also asked the PCB to compensate for financial losses if players were not allowed to play county cricket.
“If there was a financial loss, PCB should have compensated for it as Naseem Shah did with Umar Gul and Mohammad Asif,” he said. Speedy left-footed Afridi, 21, will remain with Middlesex until he arrives in Pakistan for an international assignment in mid-July.
Until then and throughout the Vitality Blast 2022 campaign, including the tournament’s knockout stages should Middlesex qualify, he will represent County Championship Cricket Club.
