Pakistan’s star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has been ruled out of the upcoming Asia Cup after failing to recover from a knee injury.
Shaheen Afridi suffered a right knee ligament injury while fielding during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle but he was named in the squad for the Netherlands series and the Asia Cup due to his importance to the team.
He was kept out of the side for the first two ODI’s against the Dutch but has failed to fully recover in time for the tournament.
PCB Medical Advisory Committee and independent specialists have recommended a further 4-6 weeks of rest following latest scans and reports. This will keep him out of the home series against England as well.
He is expected to be back in October for a T20I tri-series involving New Zealand and Bangladesh which will be followed by the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Australia 2022.
PCB Chief Medical Officer, Dr Najeebullah Soomro: “I have spoken with Shaheen and he is understandably upset with the news, but he is 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.
“PCB’s Sports & Exercise Medicine Department will be working closely with the player over the coming weeks to ensure his safe return to competitive cricket.”
Shaheen will stay with the squad to complete his rehabilitation and his replacement for the T20 Asia Cup will be announced shortly.
