Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Khan Afridi on Monday backed the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to rest Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah in the remaining fixtures of the England series.
Expressing his thoughts, Afridi said: “Resting the senior players paved the way for the youngster to get the opportunity to represent.”
“This decision will help to form the robust bench in the future,” he said.
– PCB discloses reasons of dropping Babar Azam, others –
Few days back, the PCB had disclosed the reasons for dropping Babar Azam and other senior players from the ongoing red-ball series against England.
According to the PCB, "Babar Azam is one of the best players of his generation. The PCB wants to see the mentally strong, Babar Azam representing Pakistan in the future. It has been decided to arrest Babar Azam, Naseem Ahmed Sarfraz Ahmed, and Shaheen Afridi considering the factors of Pakistan's international schedule, bouncing back in the England series, and players' current form."
"The young cricketers and domestic performers are being provided with the opportunities to demonstrate their skills against the robust England team," PCB stated.
Earlier, the PCB had decided to drop Azam, Shah, Ahmed, and Afridi from the squad following the consistent shortcomings of the Pakistan team.