New Delhi : Former Pakistani cricketer Danish Kaneria has advised Shaheen Afridi to take a month-long break from cricket to rejuvenate, following the pacer’s recent underwhelming performances in the Asia Cup.
Afridi went wicketless in Pakistan’s recently concluded Super Four game against arch-rivals India on Sunday, conceding 40 runs in 3.5 overs as the Men in Blue secured a six-wicket win.
Kaneria suggested that Afridi should not play across all formats and consider skipping one or two to focus on his bowling. He also recommended a vacation to help the pacer regain form.
“Age is one thing, but PCB cannot have him play all three formats. They have to decide which formats he’ll play. I think he should make a decision, saying something like ‘Okay, I’ll play only T20 and ODI.’ He shouldn’t play Test cricket, because he doesn’t do much in that format,” Kaneria told IANS on Monday.
He added, “I think he should take a month-long break from cricket. Go on a vacation, relax, and come back. He faded out a bit. Neither spin nor pace is working, and it feels like he’s not enjoying his cricket. I think he needs a break, a couple of months probably. If you play a lot of cricket, you tend to become stale. You need a break to come back.”
During the match, Pakistan set a challenging target of 172, but India chased it comfortably, led by openers Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma. Sharma scored 74 off 39 deliveries, including six fours and five sixes, while Gill contributed 47 off 28 balls with eight fours. Their early wickets briefly stalled India’s momentum, but Tilak Varma stabilized the innings and finished the chase with a six and a four, securing India’s first Super 4 win.
Kaneria further observed that had Abhishek Sharma remained unbeaten, India might have completed the chase sooner. “He played sensibly. Pakistani bowlers are so uninformed. Abhishek came forward to hit Shaheen for boundaries. That kid thought brilliantly. He trained under Yuvraj Singh, a legend, and that clearly shows,” Kaneria said.
The former spinner also pointed out Afridi’s difficulty in reading batters’ minds. “Abhishek knew how Shaheen would bowl, but Shaheen failed to judge Abhishek’s tactics. That’s the difference. Shaheen has played for a long time, and Abhishek is new to the setup, yet he understands how bowlers’ mentality works. Shaheen doesn’t have the ability to guess the batters’ mindset,” he concluded.
–IANS
