File photo of Shaheen Afridi.© AFP
One of Pakistan’s biggest concerns going into the 2022 T20 World Cup that begins in October is the fitness of star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi. The left-arm seamer had sustained a knee injury while fielding during the first Test against Sri Lanka in July. The injury ruled him out of the second Test against Sri Lanka and subsequent ODI series in Netherlands as well as the ongoing Asia Cup in the UAE, even though he accompanied the squad to both the Netherlands as well as UAE. On Monday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) revealed that Shaheen was going to London to undergo further treatment and rehabilitation, with the hope of getting him fit before the World Cup.
Former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was critical of the PCB’s handling of Shaheen Afridi, saying that he should have been sent for proper treatment when the board first learned of the extent of his injury.
“My problem with Shaheen is that he is not just Pakistan’s product but that of the world. The world wants to see him. We have to look after him in a right way,” Hafeez said in a video he shared on Twitter.
My views on @iShaheenAfridi injury. May he get well soon pic.twitter.com/HR18kuN8f9
— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) August 30, 2022
“The things that I read and heard over the last few days, there was an official post. So this time period of 4 weeks or 6 weeks or 8 weeks – since the time he got injured, I think wasting this time is a criminal act,” he went on to say.
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“A product like Shaheen, who is not just Pakistan’s but the world’s, and we have more such cricketers who have a fan following across the world, we need to look after them properly. This is why I feel they have now understood that and sent him to England,” Hafeez continued.
“I feel they should have taken this decision when he got injured in the first place. They should have settled their findings straight away and should have sent him for the best rehab to England or wherever else,” he said.
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