“Do you want to be a millionaire?” Wasim Akram questions if Shaheen Afridi wants to be a great player and claims no one cares about T20 cricket

Shaheen Afridi was given a rest from the third Test due to the upcoming 5-match T20I series with New Zealand.

“Do you want to be a millionaire?” Wasim Akram questions if Shaheen Afridi wants to be a great player and claims no one cares about T20 cricket

Wasim Akram was unhappy when Shaheen Afridi was rested for the 3rd Test. (Image via ESPN)

Shaheen Afridi was rested for the third Test match of the Benaud-Qadir Trophy, with the team management stating they wanted to rest him. Afridi was recently appointed as the T20I captain of the national team, and the team decided to keep him fresh for the upcoming T20I series with New Zealand, which will be his first series as captain. 

This move did not make Wasim Akram happy, who called out Afridi for taking the rest. He claimed it wasn’t the management but the pacer’s decision as he wanted to be ready for the T20 series. He then asked if Shaheen actually wanted to become a great. 

YouTube video
But T20 cricket, who cares? I understand it's there for entertainment and it's there for financial gain for cricket boards, for players, but cricketers should know that Test cricket is the ultimate.
Wasim Akram on Shaheen Afridi

He added:

If we talk about what happened 20 years ago in this Test in Sydney, nobody knows what happened last night in T20. That's the difference. These guys have to understand and learn, if you want to be a great of the game or do you want to be a millionaire. You can become both but with a little more sense."

In the 2 Tests, Afridi had bowled the most overs between all the bowlers, with 99.2 overs in four innings. During the 3rd Test, there was a delay in the start of play due to rain and bad light. During the delay, he and a coach went on the field and worked on his catching with a white ball. 

Shaheen Afridi confirms rest was management’s decision 

Shaheen Afridi spoke with the broadcasters during the third Test match and clarified on his rest. He confirmed that he was rested by the management and it wasn’t his decision. They wanted to manage his workload and the medical team also suggested that he should rest. 

Shaheen Afridi
Shaheen Afridi has bowled the most overs in the Benaud-Qadir Trophy 2023/24. (Image via ESPN)

Day 2 ended early due to rain and bad light. Australia put up 116 runs in 47 balls, but lost the wickets of David Warner and Usman Khawaja. While the game should’ve had 178 overs bowled so far, Australia’s slow over-rate and the rate reduced the number of overs bowled to 124.1. 

In case you missed: