Asia Cup

Mohammad Hafeez opens up on Shaheen Shah Afridi’s injury

by
Zainab Shafiq
August 31, 2022

Mohammad Hafeez calls PCB's act criminal

Shaheen Shah Afridi’s injury has been the centre of discussion since he was ruled out from Pakistan’s Asia Cup 2022 squad. Missing on the key bowler is a big blow to the side in its ongoing venture, and former cricketer Mohammad Hafeez feels it could not have been the case if the bowler had been treated correctly.

Hafeez believes Shaheen is an asset to Pakistan’s bowling line-up. The left-arm seamer got injured during the second Test against Sri Lanka at Galle and has not yet recovered. A day back, the Pakistan Cricket Board has sent him to London for a rehabilitation process and further recovery hoping for his well-being before the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.

Hafeez says the measures could have been taken earlier without mishandling his injury. While talking on PTV sports, the former Pakistani player narrated that what the board has realized now should have been realized a bit earlier to save Shaheen.

His statements are:

“My problem with Shaheen is that he is not just Pakistan’s product but that of the world. The world wants to see him. We have to look after him in the right way,”
“The things that I read and heard over the last few days, there was an official post. So this period of four weeks or six weeks or eight weeks – since the time he got injured, I think wasting this time is a criminal act,”
“A product like Shaheen, who is not just Pakistan’s but the world’s, and we have more such cricketers who have a fan following across the world, we need to look after them properly. This is why I feel they have now understood that and sent him to England,”
“I feel they should have taken this decision when he got injured in the first place. They should have settled their findings straight away and sent him for the best rehab to England or wherever else,”

Notably, Afridi has been advised to rest for 4-6 weeks and will miss Pakistan’s T20I series against England at home. His chances to participate in T20 World Cup are minimal either.