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Shaheen Afridi (Image Source: Twitter)
Shaheen Shah Afridi has been Pakistan's go-to pacer of late. Often considered the best talent from Pakistan in recent times, the pacer was all set to take on the Asian throne. However, a piece of shocking news has now popped out of nowhere revealing that Shaheen Afridi has been ruled out of the Asia Cup 2022.
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The cricket board of Pakistan said in a statement today that the pacer will miss out on the home series against England and the Asia Cup 2022 due to an injury. The statement further read that the pacer has been advised to take rest for four to six weeks. The statement also revealed that the 22-year-old is in touch with individual specialists.
The pace spearhead injured his knee during the first test against Sri Lanka at Galle. The Pakistani board's chief medical officer Dr Najeebullah Soomro cleared the air about his rule-out. He said that the pacer was not happy with the news and vowed to come back at the earliest. The officer added that his return to competitive cricket is certain.
“I have spoken with Shaheen and he is understandably upset with the news, but he is brave young man who has vowed to come back strongly to serve his country and team," Dr Soomro said. He further said that the pacer made great progress during rehabilitation in Rotterdam and might take some more time to make a return.
"Although he has made progress during his rehabilitation in Rotterdam, it is now clear he will require more time and is likely to return to competitive cricket in October," he added. "PCB's Sports & Exercise Medicine Department will be working closely with the player over the coming weeks to ensure his safe return to competitive cricket," the statement read.
Shaheen Afridi missing out on the Asia Cup 2022 might come as a huge blow for the Pakistan team. It remains to see if they would come up with a perfect replacement for the speedster. The Pakistan cricket team is expected to arrive in Dubai on August 22 from Rotterdam.