Pakistan's Shaheen Ruled Out of Asia Cup 2022

Shaheen Afridi won't be playing in Asia Cup 2022

Due to a knee injury, Shaheen Shah Afridi has been ruled out of the Asia Cup as well as the seven-match T20I series against England in September. Afridi is in a battle against time to be ready for the T20 World Cup, which begins in October after the PCB's medical advisory council ordered "four-six weeks rest."

Afridi had a right knee ligament injury during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle last month, and although being included in the team, he had not been featured in the current tour of the Netherlands. Babar Azam stated before the series that Afridi will play only one ODI against the Netherlands for him to be healthy for the Asia Cup, which begins on August 27. His absence is a big setback for Pakistan's tournament prospects.

"Shaheen is our finest bowler, therefore we'll miss him," Pakistan vice-captain Shadab Khan said. "It's sad he won't be available for the Asia Cup. However, we are confident that he will be available for future series as well as the World Cup. We'll have to be tough on the field. We never relax against any squad in our team culture."

The PCB stated that Afridi will be available for the October T20I tri-series in New Zealand, which would also include Bangladesh, before the T20 World Cup.

Shaheen, 22, has established himself as Pakistan's important bowler across all three forms in recent years, and, together with Babar, is Pakistan's best-known and most popular player. He has played in the majority of Pakistan's internationals, frequently without rest, but this looks to be the first time he has sustained a substantial injury.

The PCB stated that a replacement for Shaheen Afridi for the Asia Cup will be revealed soon. Pakistan will kick off its Asia Cup campaign against India on August 28 in Dubai. Afridi was helpful in Pakistan's 10-wicket win against India in the 2021 T20 World Cup, the last time these two sides faced. In that game, Afridi dismissed Rohit Sharma for a duck in the first over and bowled KL Rahul with the first ball of the third over. He was named Player-of-the-Match after taking 3 for 31 in four overs.