Shaheen Shah Afridi has left Pakistan contingent and departed for London to complete his rehabilitation. The left-arm pacer got ruled out of ongoing T20 Asia Cup owing to a knee ligament injury.
PCB Chief Medical Officer, Dr Najeebullah Soomro: “Shaheen Shah Afridi requires uninterrupted, dedicated knee specialist care and London offers some of the best sports medical and rehabilitation facilities in the world. In the best interest of the player, we have decided to send him there.
“The medical department will receive daily feedback on his progress whilst in London and we are confident Shaheen will return to full fitness before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.”
Shaheen is expected to regain complete fitness before the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. So far, his exact return to competitive cricket is yet to be decided. He suffered the injury in July during first Test against Sri Lanka. Despite the injury, he was also a part of Pakistan's squad for Netherlands which raise a few eyebrows and led to widespread criticism.
Mohammad Hasnain was named Afridi's replacement. Hasnain did not feature in Pakistan's campaign opener as 19-year-old Naseem Shah made his T20I debut. Naseem took two wickets on debut as he battled through cramps. However, Pakistan clearly missed the services of their star bowler Shaheen.
Background of doctors
As per a press release by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the 22-year-old will remain under the supervision the board's Medical Advisory Panel. London-based Dr Imtiaz Ahmed and Dr Zafar Iqbal comprise of this panel.
Imtiaz has been the Head of Medical Services at Queens Park Rangers Football Club. His colleague in the advisory panel, Dr Zafar is currently head of Sports Medicine at the Crystal Palace Football Club. Before 2015, he had also worked with Tottenham Hotspur FC, Liverpool FC and Kent County Cricket Club.
