Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan should not have played T20 Blast: Junaid Khan

Pakistani bowler Junaid Khan has said that national side speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi and all-rounder Shadab Khan should not have participated in the ongoing T20 Blast in England.

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Khan said that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should handle the national side's senior players more carefully since this is a World Cup year and they will need to be in top condition at the time.

"In my opinion, it would have been best if the board didn't allow him [Shaheen] to play and advised him to work on his fitness and take some rest because the World Cup is near, and there are more series ahead, and we need him. He is not needed in the league; he is the backbone of the Pakistan team," Junaid said.

Justifying his claim, he further added: "Shaheen Afridi is playing in all three formats for the PCB. He recently returned from an injury, and you must have seen that he has played only two matches so far, and has struggled in both games." 

Moreover, the Pakistani cricketer said: "Shadab already has some fitness issues, and he has also been allowed to play in the league. In my opinion, PCB should think about these things."

However, Junaid believes that league cricket in England will be beneficial for youngsters like leg-spinner Usama Mir and pacer Zaman Khan.

"Just like Usama Mir and Zaman Khan came to participate in the league, these are the youngsters who have come here to learn, just like I came here in the beginning and learned a lot, so the players who play T20 cricket or just played one or two matches, when you allow such players to participate in the leagues, they learn a lot of things, but when you allow players like Shaheen and Shadab, and God forbid if they injured themselves, then who will be responsible for that?" he concluded.

Apart from the aforementioned players, experienced pacer Hasan Ali, stylish left-hand opening batter Shan Masood, left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar and top-order batter Haider Ali are also in action in the tournament.