'T20 cricket, who cares?' - Former Pakistan legendary player criticizes decision to rest Shaheen Afridi for third Test against Australia

After Pakistan opted to two make two changes in the playing 11 for the Pink ball Test against Australia, the team as well as management have been doomed with a lot of criticism for resting the ace speedster, Shaheen Shah Afridi. The legendary Pakistan bowler, Wasim Akram strongly criticized Pakistan's choice to rest Shaheen Afridi for the third and ultimate Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

Despite Pakistan being behind 0-2 in the series, important World Test Championship (WTC) points are still on the line. Nevertheless, the 23-year-old was unexpectedly rested for the Sydney Test, just before his first national captaincy assignment in the T20Is against New Zealand. The series is to set to begin from January 12. In an interview with Fox Cricket, commenting on the decision, Akram asserted that the choice was entirely Shaheen's and not influenced by the team management. Akram delivered a firm message, urging players to prioritize whether they aspire to become greats of the game or focus solely on financial gains through T20 cricket.

 "Straight after this there are five T20s in New Zealand, and Shaheen's the captain. 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. 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,” Former Pakistan skipper said.

I was expecting him to be a part of this Test match: Waqar Younis

 Another Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis echoed the sentiments expressed by Wasim Akram regarding Pakistan's decision to rest Shaheen Afridi for the final Test of the series in Australia. With the side already missing the injured Naseem Shah, Afridi's absence further weakens the bowling attack as they aim to avoid a series whitewash.

"We play for Test match cricket. We don't play for T20s or one-day cricket. And if you're missing Test match cricket purely because you are being rested, I do not understand. That’s a real shocker for me because I was expecting him to be a part of this Test match because he looked good in the previous match. He started feeling like the old Shaheen Afridi and started to swing the ball and the pace was getting better," said Waqar to Channel 7.