Former Pakistan fast-bowler Mohammad Amir has stated his belief that the lack of proper workload management has been the major fault in the poor form of Shaheen Shah Afridi across formats for the team.

Afridi has been under scrutiny for his recent performances across formats for Pakistan, notably during the 2-0 Test series whitewash at the hands of Bangladesh, where his pace was around the 120 kmph mark. Since 2023, he has picked up just 27 wickets in 16 innings at a concerning average of 40.11. The form has further seen the left-arm seamer dropped from the Test side for the series against West Indies and England.

Afridi broke out as a stellar left-arm seamer in 2018, who could move the ball both ways and had stellar performances before he suffered a severe knee injury in 2022, which was further aggravated while attempting a catch during the final of the T20 World Cup against England.

Amir, referring to an interview he had given in 2021, stated that Afridi has been a victim of poor workload management and is currently struggling with fitness and consistency due to the number of games he plays.

“If you go on Google or YouTube, you can watch the video. I gave an interview in 2020 or 2021 about Shaheen Afridi because these things happened with me. I told the media that you guys keep playing Shaheen Afridi; the time will come when he will struggle,” Amir said on The Scoop by Wisden.

He will struggle with the pace, with the consistency, with fitness, everything. And now you can see he’s struggling by far. He’s still young, he should be on top, but he’s struggling. So there is something wrong. And the main thing is workload management. That’s the main problem,” Amir added.

Afridi is currently playing for the Kandy Royals in the 2026 Lanka Premier League season, where he has picked up seven wickets in four matches at an economy rate of 8.93.

Batting stalwart Sunil Gavaskar has claimed the need for the Indian side to be smarter and more proactive in their approach to their game after their recent results away from home.

While the 3-0 sweep of Zimbabwe has looked promising, India’s results in England and Ireland have drawn much scrutiny from experts and fans alike. The Men in Blue, in their first assignment since the victorious T20 World Cup campaign in March of this year, were whitewashed 2-0 by a spirited Irish side in Belfast. This was followed by a 4-0 sweep in the five-match T20I series at the hands of England, losing their number 1 spot in the ICC rankings. India were also beaten 2-1 in the three-match ODI series, with the victory at Edgbaston being their only win on the tour.

Gavaskar has stated that the team needs to get better at picking its moments and playing smart cricket, based on the needs of the situation. Indian batters often struggled against short-pitched bowling in England, with Gavaskar identifying the need for the team to better pick their matchups.

“There is a lot of hard work ahead for the team. A good, honest reflection on what the shortcomings were and how to overcome them is the need of the hour. Shot selection is very important, and here the batter has to rein in his ego and not try to live up to an image, but play the ball on its merits. Above all, it’s necessary to play smart cricket. So, figure out the bowler who doesn’t need to be counter-attacked. Then target the bowlers against whom you can make up for the quiet over from the better bowler,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar, as reported by the Hindustan Times

India were also let down by their fielding on the tour, falling prey to misfields and dropped chances. Gavaskar emphasised the need for the team’s collective improvement in fielding and execution of plans in game situations. He stated that there is no need for panic and that it is minor details that need improvement, which would come with introspection. 

“Most of all, it’s mandatory that if a player is an average fielder, he has to be shown the door. There is simply no way a captain has to hide three or four players, hoping the ball won’t go anywhere near them. The bowlers also must look at the slow bouncer once again and see how cleverly Sam Curran used the slow, loopy deliveries. As I said, there’s no need to press the emergency button as yet. However, there’s plenty of honest introspection needed. There also has to be a lot more thought put into the execution of each individual’s speciality if the Indian team is to get back to winning ways,” he added.

India will be in action next in the Test format, heading to Sri Lanka for a two-match series, which will commence on August 15. Colombo and Galle will play host to the series. 

Veteran all-rounders Jalaj Saxena and Aditya Sarvate have signed a reunion with Kerala ahead of the upcoming domestic season. Both the all-rounders were part of Kerala’s historic campaign in the 2024-25 season of the Ranji Trophy edition when the side made their first-ever appearance in a final.

Although Kerala lost to Vidarbha in the championship game, the duo were pivotal members in getting the team through to the finals. The Kerala Cricket Association is yet to confirm the development, but CricTracker reached out to Sarvate, where the Nagpur-born player confirmed that he is moving back to Kerala, having spent the last season with Chattisgarh, leaving Vidarbha – his home team.

Sarvate had impressed everyone on his Kerala debut, taking a nine-wicket haul in the first round game of the 2024-25 season. He then continued to contribute with the ball as well as the bat, proving to be the crisis man for the Sachin Baby-led side. His all-round skills peaked during the semi-final against Jammu & Kashmir, where his magical spell gave Kerala a stunning two-run lead to book the berth for the final.

Saxena, a veteran of the Indian domestic circuit, had been representing Kerala until last season when he moved to Maharashtra. Saxena had cited personal reasons behind his move to the western state, but he is now all set to come back south and bring his plethora of experience to the dressing room where he is a familiar face despite being a guest player.

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