After suffering another injury to his right knee during the men’s T20 World Cup final on Sunday in Melbourne, the Pakistan team is preparing for the possibility of being without Shaheen Shah Afridi for a large amount of additional time.
The stiffness in Shaheen Afridi’s knee is likely “due to a forced knee flexion whilst landing” according to the results of a Monday morning scan, which showed no signs of damage and led to the recommendation that he engage in rehabilitation for two weeks. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) stated that Afridi’s “return to international cricket will be subject to the champion fast bowler’s successful completion of the rehabilitation program and the following go-ahead by the medical staff.” However, it appears unlikely that Afridi will be available for the home Tests against England and New Zealand through December and January.
In any event, it was anticipated that Afridi will not participate in the test series against England, which would begin on December 1 in Rawalpindi. That was a part of a planned gradual return to the longer format from the initial knee injury that he had picked up while fielding during a Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle back in July. That injury had kept him out of action for three and a half months. This injury had also been picked up during the match.
He was able to make it back in time for the World Cup, and Pakistan’s campaign at the premier competition began with him taking it easy as he worked his way back into rhythm. At the time of the final, it seemed as though he had returned to his previous level of performance. This was demonstrated by his returns of 4 for 22 against Bangladesh, 3 for 14 against South Africa, 3 and 24 in the semi-final match against New Zealand, and 1 for 13 in the final match against England until he suffered the injury. He took 11 wickets during the campaign, making him Pakistan’s joint-highest wicket-taker overall.
This injury, like the first one, happened to him when he was fielding the ball during the 13th over in England’s pursuit of the target. At this particular event, which took place in the championship match at the MCG, he came in from far off to save a good opportunity from Harry Brook. It looked like he had injured his knee when sliding low to grab on, and he was instantly in some amount of agony. He was assisted off the field by the physiotherapist and doctor for the squad. He came back a little while later and rushed in carefully to make one delivery, but after that, he was unable to continue.
According to reports, he is now using a brace on his right knee. Afridi and the rest of the Pakistani team will return home today through Dubai. As Afridi’s replacement, Haris Rauf is expected to have his first taste of red-ball cricket.
Concern and criticism were voiced at the time over the PCB’s management of Afridi’s recovery after the first injury. Even though he was injured, he went on the August trip to the Netherlands to play in a three-game ODI series with the squad. Unfortunately, things didn’t go out as planned, and the PCB said he’d be out for four to six weeks.
Afridi stayed on the plane to the United Arab Emirates with the rest of the squad for the Asia Cup as the medical staff made another effort to kickstart his recovery. Medical scans and reports, however, indicated posterior cruciate ligament damage, and it was determined that he would fly to the UK for further rehabilitation with physicians Zafar Iqbal and Imtiaz Ahmed, who serve on the PCB medical panel. He was absent for the Asia Cup and the September home T20I series against England, but he was able to join the team in Brisbane before the tournament began.
