Pakistan now faces a huge blow as the star fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi will not be part of the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 as the star quick bowler will be side-lined for at least four to six weeks after suffering an injury in his knee.
It is most likely that the star bowler will also miss the series against England. Shaheen was fielding in the first test match against Sri Lanka where he faced a serious right-knee ligament injury.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has released a statement stating “Shaheen Shah Afridi has been advised 4-6 weeks rest by the PCB Medical Advisory Committee and independent specialists following latest scans and reports. This means Shaheen has been ruled out of the ACC T20 Asia Cup and home series against England.”
He did not have a workload even though he was in the squad for the Netherlands, as he did not play the first two matches. Now with the injury, Pakistan will have a huge problem in finding a replacement, it’s not like Pakistan doesn’t have backup bowlers it’s just that there is no one better or equal to Shaheen Afridi.
Pakistan’s vice-captain Shadab Khan was quoted saying “Shaheen’s our best bowler, so of course, we’ll miss him, it’s unfortunate that he won’t be available for the Asia Cup. But we’re hopeful he will be available for future series and the World Cup. We’ll have to play ruthless cricket. Our team culture is such that we never relax against any team.”
Dr. Najeebullah Soomro, PCB chief medical officer, when asked about Shaheen’s fitness he replied saying, “I have spoken with Afridi and he is understandably upset with the news, but he is a brave young man who has vowed to come back strongly to serve his country and team, Although he has made progress during his rehabilitation in Rotterdam, it is now clear he will require more time and is likely to return to competitive cricket in October.”
After the PCB announcement, the pacer himself took time out and tweeted saying “Every player of our playing 11 is a match winner. Wishing my team the best of luck for the Upcoming Asia Cup. To the fans, keep me in your prayers for my quick recovery. I’ll be back soon Inshallah.
Pakistan will soon announce the replacement for the pacer, and Shaheen Shah will stay with the Pakistan team as he is ready to start his rehabilitation process
Current Pakistan Squad for the Asia Cup:
Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Usman Qadir, Shahnawaz Dahani.
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