Sometimes when you rest in Pakistan cricket, your career can end up resting in peace: Naseem Shah

Naseem Shah has made some startling revelations about how Pakistani players are afraid of taking a rest because their selection in the squad could get jeopardized down the line.

The Pakistan pacer suffered an injury during the Asia Cup last year and missed the ODI World Cup 2023 in India. Naseem underwent surgery and couldn't recover in time for Pakistan's Test tour to Australia and white-ball tour to New Zealand. He made his comeback to competitive cricket after five months during the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Naseem recently criticized Pakistan's cricketing culture, stating that main players are afraid to give their bodies some rest as youngsters who do well in a game or two in their absence could take up their places.

"I think, unfortunately, in Pakistan, the case is different. Here, the situation is such that if a newcomer performs in one game, the main bowlers are afraid of their place in the XI and wonder if they will be retained for the next game. That fear does not allow players to rest because sometimes when you rest, your career can end up resting in peace,” he told CricWick.

“There’s also a fear among players and our culture is such that if we say our bodies aren’t 100 percent or we are tired, there will be a lot of chatter about our commitment towards playing. Even the players start talking about you so you don’t take rest voluntarily," he added.

Naseem opined that if the physio or bowling coach decides which player will play how many games in a particular series beforehand, it will help in managing the workload.

“The way to avoid that could be if the physio or bowling coach pre-decides the number of games you will play in a series. It will always be better. It [workload management] should happen but it is not in our culture," the 21-year-old mentioned.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently scrapped experienced speedster Haris Rauf’s contract after he pulled out of the Australia tour, citing fitness and workload issues.

Also Read: Lahore Qalandars' owner Sameen Rana slams PCB for 'publicly humiliating' Haris Rauf

Islamabad United, led by Shadab Khan, are placed at No. 4 on the points table in PSL 2024. They face Karachi Kings on Thursday, March 7, at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi. Naseem has picked up nine wickets in seven games so far in PSL 2024 at an average of 23.78.

During the Asia Cup, I had a tear and felt something tearing inside me: Naseem Shah

Naseem said that he initially felt that his injury wasn't too serious. He hurt his shoulder while saving a boundary against Bangladesh and subsequently walked off the pitch against India after being in visible pain.

“I didn’t understand it well [my shoulder]. I had stiffness for a while but after warm-ups, I would feel better. I didn’t understand it well, so I played through it. But during the Asia Cup, I had a tear and felt something tearing inside me,” Naseem said.

“Later, during the surgery, I found out there was a tear of up to four or five centimetres. I felt a tear when I was bowling the last over against India. Earlier, in the tournament, I had dived and hurt my shoulder but I didn’t think it was serious as I only faced slight stiffness," he concluded.