'There is something called respect' - Atiq Uz Zaman lashes out at Shaheen Afridi for disrespecting Mohammad Yousuf

Controversies and Pakistan cricket go hand in hand. There were reports of Babar Azam’s feud with Shaheen Afridi during the T20 World Cup 2022 and the former had to clarify the rumours before boarding the India flight ahead of World Cup 2023. In a fresh dispute, Afridi has reportedly had a heated exchange with Pakistan’s batting coach, Mohammad Yousuf, and the former Pakistan cricketer Atiq Uz Zaman has condemned the act.

The star Pakistan pacer was notified of overstepping the line while bowling in the nets by Yousuf. He allegedly told the veteran to mind his own business and the news of the same has drawn immense criticism from fans and pundits alike. Zaman, while commenting on the issue noted that Afridi’s move lacked respect for senior players such as Yousuf and he did not abide by the coach’s suggestions.

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"Yousuf is part of the team. If they're given responsibility for the nets, they can advise bowlers. The no-ball issue is significant. If you bowl no-balls in the nets, it becomes a habit. I've seen that players who bowl no-balls in practice do so in matches as well," said Zaman as quoted by Sports Tak.

"If Mohammad Yousuf bhai said that, Shaheen Afridi shouldn't have made the comments he did. I'm not sure if he made them or not, as these are just rumors. If he did, I'm really disappointed because Yousuf Bhai is a bigger name than Shaheen Afridi. So he got to understand that there is something called respect. If the coach instructs you, you should just put your head down and try not to bowl no-ball in the nets,” he added.

Shaheen, Naseem Shah cannot play every match: Gillespie

Former Australia pacer, Jason Gillespie was appointed as Pakistan’s coach for Tests and he was adamant in maintaining the workload of the team's priced possessions, Afridi and Naseem Shah. Both players are a must in the team and have also represented in various franchise leagues across the world, notably the Lanka Premier League, Big Bash League, and The Hundred.

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"Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah are multi-format cricketers and also participate in franchise cricket. They cannot play every match. We will try to give them rest in relatively less important matches. Over the past year, Shaheen has bowled three times more than Mitchell Starc. How can he manage such a workload? We need to take care of him,” said Gillespie.