Salman Ali Agha, Pakistan’s T20 captain, is hopeful that Shaheen Shah Afridi will fully recover from a knee injury in time for the T20 World Cup next month.
Afridi has been a vital component of Pakistan’s pace attack, and his availability will be critical to the team’s prospects in the event that is being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
“We are hopeful he will be fit for the World Cup but the final decision will come from the (Pakistan Cricket) Board on advice from the medical panel,” a PTI report quoted Salman as saying while talking to the media in Dambulla which is the venue of Wednesday’s first T20I between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
The PCB’s medical panel is overseeing Shaheen’s recovery at the High Performance Center in Lahore.
A video of the pacer undergoing rehabilitation was made public by the PCB on Wednesday, but it made no mention of the severity of his injuries or how long it would take him to fully recover.
Shaheen recently suffered a knee injury while fielding in an Australian Big Bash League game. The PCB called him back for rehabilitation after he was freed by his team, the Brisbane Heat.
Shaheen has experienced knee issues before. In 2021, he sustained the same injury while fielding during a Test in Galle, which prevented him from playing for several months.
Salman added that the series in Sri Lanka would assist his players get used to the conditions and that Pakistan had successfully assembled a strong and well-rounded team for the World Cup. Sri Lanka is scheduled host all of Pakistan’s World Cup games.
“This series will help the players a lot for the World Cup, especially those who haven’t played that much cricket in Sri Lanka,” Salman added as per the PTI report.
