Market Desk (sports): Pakistan’s main strike bowler Shaheen Afridi has missed 1 series after another due to injury. Among them are the Asia Cup, home series against England, New Zealand tri-series. Pakistan won the tri-series without him but keeping him out in T20 WC was unthinkable.
Shaheen had picked up a knee injury during the Sri Lanka Test series in August, 2022 and was subsequently ruled out of the entire Asia Cup and the home series against England. He later joined the Pakistan squad during their tri-series in New Zealand earlier this week but did not play a match. However, he did bowl in the practice games for Pakistan before World Cup.
But Afridi could not do anything in the first match against India. He was wicketless with 34 runs in 4 overs. Pakistan lost the match by 4 wickets. Former Pakistani fast bowler Aqib Javed thinks that it is not right to play Shaheen again.
Aqib Javed told Geo TV, ‘No, he did not feel 100% fit. When he started running to bowl the first ball, I was like, is everything okay! That speed of his in the beginning that swings of his arms… but here his speed seemed less. Wasn’t feeling comfortable running. Now if he can’t run like he used to, playing him would be a big mistake.’
