Former Pakistan fast bowlers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis slammed the decision to rest Shaheen Shah Afridi for the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

Wasim stated the decision “had nothing to do with management” and was “solely [Shaheen’s] decision,” warning players in general that when it came to picking which format to prioritize, they had to decide “if you want to be a great at the game or do you want to be a millionaire.”

“Straight after this, there are five T20s in New Zealand, and Shaheen’s the captain,” Wasim remarked on Fox Cricket. “But who cares about T20 cricket?” I appreciate that it exists for entertainment and financial advantage for cricket boards and players, but batsmen should recognize that Test cricket is the pinnacle.

Nobody knows what happened last night in the T20 if we talk about what happened 20 years ago in this Test in Sydney. That is the distinction. If you want to be a brilliant gamer or a millionaire, these guys must comprehend and learn. You can be both, but with a bit more common sense.”

Waqar was taken aback, saying Afridi’s absence “made me laugh.”

“That was a real surprise to me because I was expecting him to play in this test match because he looked good in the previous one.” He began to feel like the old Shaheen Afridi and began to hit the ball, and the pace picked up.”

Pakistan was concerned about Afridi’s workload throughout the first two tests. In the first two Tests, he led a weak, inexperienced fast bowling attack without a lead spinner, bowling four balls short of 100 overs, over 30 more than the series’ second-busiest bowler, Nathan Lyon.

As he has acquired more responsibility in white-ball cricket, his workload over a longer period of time has also become an issue. He is the captain of the Pakistan Super League’s Lahore Qalandars and signed a three-year contract with the ILT20 last year.

Afridi was also named captain of Pakistan’s Twenty20 International team, which he will lead in New Zealand in a five-match T20I series that begins five days after the planned completion of the third Test. Despite missing time due to injury, only eight fast bowlers have bowled more balls in international cricket since July 2022 than Afridi.

Haris Rauf had made himself unavailable prior to the series, instead electing to begin his Big Bash League (BBL) contract with the Melbourne Stars.