Pakistan star pace bowler Shaheen Afridi suffered a recurrence of his long-standing knee injury, raising concerns over the ace bowler's match readiness in time for the T20 World Cup.
Left-arm quick Afridi was forced to return home after playing four games for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League.
Afridi, 25, suffered a knee cartilage injury while fielding during Brisbane's win over Adelaide Strikers, Heat said in a statement.
“After consulting with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s medical staff during the past 24 hours, it was agreed that Afridi would return home for further treatment,” the statement said.
Afridi thanked the Brisbane team and said he hoped to be back on the field soon.
“Due to an unexpected injury; I have been called back by the PCB and will have to take a rehab. Hopefully, I will be back in the fields soon,” Afridi wrote on X.
“I’m massively thankful to the Brisbane Heat team and fans for showering me with immense love and support,” Afridi added. “Meanwhile, I will be cheering for the amazing team.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board decided to call back Afridi as a precautionary step with the T20 World Cup due to start from February 7.
It marked the end of a short but problematic BBL stint for Afridi. He picked up just two wickets in four matches at a high economy rate of 11.19. In his first game of the season, Afridi was also removed from the attack in the 18th over when he bowled two waist-high full tosses to Melbourne Renegades’ batters Tim Seifert and Oliver Peake.
More importantly, the injury will be a cause for concern as it is not the first time that Afridi has hurt his right knee. He sustained an injury on that knee while fielding during a Test match in Sri Lanka in 2022 that also ruled him out from the early stages of the T20 World Cup in Australia.
He returned at the later stages of the tournament, but again picked up injury on the same knee during the death overs of the final against England. Recurrence of that injury played a crucial role as England found a way back in a close contest to win the title.
Pakistan didn’t name Afridi for next month’s three-match T20 series in Sri Lanka as part of their rotation policy, but he remains one of the key players for the T20 World Cup to be jointly hosted by Sri Lanka and India.
