Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi was injured in the T20 World Cup final. From Sachin Tendulkar to Akash Chopra and Michael Vaughan, everyone said that his injury made a big difference in the final.
Shaheen was injured for several months before the World Cup, and after the injury in the final, he is again out of the team. Shaheen has once again been put in a brace on his right knee. And now he will miss Pakistan’s England and New Zealand series.
Shaheen suffered a knee injury while fielding in the first Test against Sri Lanka in July. Shaheen has been out since then. In the World Cup final, Shaheen got hurt while taking the catch of Harry Brooke. Many experts believe that bringing him back to the team for the World Cup in a hurry was to jeopardize his career.
Former Chief Medical Officer of Pakistan Cricket Board, Dr Sohail Saleem, while talking to Pakistani media outlet Dawn said, Even if this injury doesn’t lead to more injuries, it will take three to four months for Shaheen Shah Afridi to recover. If the medical board of the Pakistan Cricket Board fixes it with surgery, then Shaheen will be out for six or seven months.
Sohail also said that there should be an inquiry into Shaheen’s return. They said there should be an inquiry into whether the PCB’s medical panel made a mistake in treating Shaheen’s injury.
Shaheen Shah Afridi caught Brook’s catch in the 13th over of the World Cup final, during which he suffered a knee injury. After this, Shaheen went out of the ground. Then he came back in the 15th over.
Pakistani fans were happy to see him. For the 16th over, captain Babar Azam caught the ball to Shaheen. But after bowling the very first ball, he got injured again. And he had to leave the match. Former Pakistan pacer Sarfaraz Nawaz has blamed PCB for this issue.
Sarfaraz Said During a Conversation With Dawn
‘He didn’t play any match after July. You directly took him out to play in the World Cup. His fitness would have been better understood if he had played a match before the World Cup. He should not have been selected without proving fitness.
Before the T20 World Cup, Pakistan played a tri-series in New Zealand. Shaheen should have been tested for that. PCB ruined 40 days of rehab by keeping Shaheen with the team.
As soon as the news of Shaheen’s injury came, people started questioning PCB on Twitter. One user wrote Pakistan management put a World Cup ahead of Shaheen’s career. I am happy that the Indian management focused on Bumrah’s career and did not rush his return.
Pakistan management chose to prioritise a World Cup over Shaheen’s career in the long run. I am glad Indian management did the sensible thing of not risking or rushing Bumrah’s career and recovery respectively. https://t.co/XOcJpq4EKH
— Meet (@raut_meeet) November 14, 2022
A user tweeted during the World Cup final; I am worried about Shaheen’s career. His knee has been hurt again, which could put his career at stake.
At this point I am worried for shaheen he has hurt his knee again his career might be at line pic.twitter.com/zJFN52sGhO
— PEANUT BUTTER?? (@seeker_1122) November 13, 2022
Now how PCB treats Shaheen’s injury has to be seen. Pakistani fans are constantly hoping that their star pacer makes a great comeback and can once again play all three formats for Pakistan.
