The left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has been ruled out of upcoming ACC T20 Asia Cup 2022 and the T20I Series against England because of a knee injury.
The 22-year-old Shaheen suffered a right knee ligament injury while fielding during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle and was eventually rested for the ODI Series against Netherlands to ensure that he remained fit for the Asia Cup.
In a statement on Saturday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that 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 but is expected to return to competitive cricket in October with the New Zealand T20I tri-series, which will be followed by the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Australia 2022.
The ACC T20 Asia Cup 2022 will be played in Dubai and Sharjah from August 27 to September 11.
Later, Pakistan will play seven T20 Internationals against the visiting England from September 20 to October 2, 2022 ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Shaheen Shah Afridi had been included in Pakistan’s 15-member squad for Asia Cup as part of the fast-bowling unit along with Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, and Shahnawaz Dahani. However, now after Afridi’s absence from the event, his replacement will soon be announced by the PCB.
