Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez is baffled by the words ‘workload management’ of fast bowlers which are often used to rest players or not bowl longer spells. Hafeez who was recently sacked as Pakistan’s Director of Cricket after Mohsin Naqvi was named Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief said that it is difficult for him to understand as bowlers were willing to bowl more when he represented Pakistan.
“I have played cricket for 18 years, but this is something we never heard in our days. It depends on the will of a player. If he wants to play, he will; otherwise, he will talk about his workload,” Hafeez said in a panel discussion on A Sports which also included Wasim Akram and Misbah-ul-Haq.
“I was with the team for two months, and it was difficult for me to understand the workload management. It is essential to manage the work of fast bowlers, but it doesn’t mean that he will bowl only four overs.”
Hafeez wants Pakistan pacers to learn from Joseph
Hafeez gave young West Indies’ pacer Shamar Joseph’s example. Joseph bowled 12 consecutive overs against Australia despite an injury to lead them to a historic win over Australia in Perth. The 24-year-old took seven wickets in the innings to leave Steve Smith stranded on the other end.
“Your practice and training should be hard enough to help you execute your plans in the game. When a batter scores a 100, 150 or 200, he doesn’t say that he is done and won’t carry on. Shamar Joseph bowled 12 overs on the trot. Thank God, the word workload management was not in his mind,” he added.
Afridi’s absence from third Test against Australia
During his tenure as Pakistan’s Director of Cricket, the team suffered losses in Australia and New Zealand. After the first two Tests against Australia when Hafeez was also the head coach, Pakistan’s premier left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi was rested for the third Test as he had bowled too many overs in the first two games. He returned to action in the five-T20I series against New Zealand as he took over the captaincy in the shortest format.
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