[VIDEOS] Shaheen Shah Afridi starts to bowl again as part of his rehabilitation from knee injury

[Usman]

Rotterdam, 20 August 2022:

Shaheen Shah Afridi has been advised 4-6 weeks rest by the PCB Medical Advisory Committee and independent specialists following latest scans and reports. This means Shaheen has been ruled out of the ACC T20 Asia Cup and home series against England, but is expected to return to competitive cricket in October with the New Zealand T20I tri-series, which will be followed by the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Australia 2022.

Shaheen had suffered a right knee ligament injury while fielding during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.

PCB Chief Medical Officer, Dr Najeebullah Soomro: “I have spoken with Shaheen and he is understandably upset with the news, but he is brave young man who has vowed to come back strongly to serve his country and team. Although he has made progress during his rehabilitation in Rotterdam, it is now clear he will require more time and is likely to return to competitive cricket in October.

“PCB’s Sports & Exercise Medicine Department will be working closely with the player over the coming weeks to ensure his safe return to competitive cricket.”

Shaheen will stay with the squad to complete his rehabilitation. His replacement for the ACC T20 Asia Cup will be announced shortly. The Pakistan side will arrive in Dubai from Rotterdam on Monday.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Shaheen Afridi ruled out of Asia Cup and probably t20i series against England.

Ruled out of Asia Cup and t20i series against England and his participation for wt20 is also in doubt depending on how quickly he recovers.

Honestly speaking, I think PCB has been managing his injury awfully. There was no need to take him on a tour to Netherlands when he was injured. Travelling itself puts a lot of strain on the body.

In addition to that, PCB needs to hire some good orthopedists or take the players directly to orthopedists rather than relying on their own "medical team" that comprises of Physiotherapists. It's been over a month since he got injured and by the looks of their statements since his injury, it seems like he wasn't taken to any proper doctor. Considering there is no sports medicine in Pakistan, atleast having a good orthopedist is something PCB should look towards.

 

[mosh101]

Big blow to Pakistan.

Wishing him a speedy recovery.

 

[m.shah]

This was bound to happen when he was not given any rest.

 

[Ab Fan]

KL Rahul khush hua

 

[Hextro]

I wonder who will replace him. We might have to go with a spinner in his place and open the bowling with Naseem and Haris. Imad might get into the squad now.

 

[The cricket enthusiast]

Credit must be given where it's due thanks to PCM

 

[The cricket enthusiast]

Go with imad or amir not the hassan ali please .

 

[Firebat]

Massive, massive blow...

 

[Maliq_Mudasir]

Mir Hamzah & Akif Javed Ideal replacement. But you never know PCB can bring Wahab too.

 

[sweep_shot]

Blow for Pakistan.

But, Asia Cup is not that important. World T20 is far more important; he will play in that hopefully.

 

[Hextro]

PCB Chief Medical Officer, Dr Najeebullah Soomro: “I have spoken with Shaheen and he is understandably upset with the news, but he is brave young man who has vowed to come back strongly to serve his country and team. Although he has made progress during his rehabilitation in Rotterdam, it is now clear he will require more time and is likely to return to competitive cricket in October.

That's good to hear because Pakistan will start its world cup campaign in late October. I don't mind him missing the Asia Cup. This is a good chance for the likes of Naseem, Haris, Dahani, etc to prove themselves against decent competition. They will learn a lot from their experiences in the Asia Cup.

 

[wrongun]

Which knee ligament makes a big difference. Some WAY more severe.

ACL? PCL? MCL? LCL?

What grade strain? Or full tear?

 

[ethan hunt]

Horrible succession planning and bench development.
Naseem shah on debut will have to lead the attack in the tournament now.
Management should be ashamed, even the likes of Arshdeep are way more experienced. We keep playing the likes of hasan ali in useless bilaterals.
Even Dahani hasnt gotten any real opportunity.

 

[topspin]

PCB really need to manage his workload. He shouldn't be playing all the bilateral white ball games. Pakistan never learns because they have the worst think tank in world cricket.

 

[Savak]

Not a bad thing, time for the others to step up

 

[Maliq_Mudasir]

Horrible succession planning and bench development.
Naseem shah on debut will have to lead the attack in the tournament now.
Management should be ashamed, even the likes of Arshdeep are way more experienced. We keep playing the likes of hasan ali in useless bilaterals.
Even Dahani hasnt gotten any real opportunity.

Absolutely right, we never tested our other bowlers and kept playing Shaheen even if it is a 'Mohallay Ka Match'.

By this time Dhani, Naseem, Mir Hamzah, Musa Khan and Akif Javed should have played 10-15 international matches each.

 

[Marooned]

Well done to pcb for successfully running Shaheen into the ground!

They never had an ounce of sense to give him adequate when every fan could see it. Pathetic management.

 

[Marooned]

They never gave Dahani games so that he might be ready by now. That's what blind pathetic planning looks like.

For the love of god, don't blood in Naseem as his replacement. Wt20 is a different prospect altogether and importantly Naseem's fitness is not to be banked upon. He is sure to injure himself at some point.

Look to Dahani now, give him all the warm ups for heaven's sake!!!

 

[reversehook]

heavy phainta coming...

 

[Hextro]

PCB really need to manage his workload. He shouldn't be playing all the bilateral white ball games. Pakistan never learns because they have the worst think tank in world cricket.

He got injured while fielding in a test match. I would also love to blame the management for this but it clearly isn't their fault this time. Shaheen should know not to put his body on the line while fielding.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

There goes Pakistan's chance of winning against India. It will be an upset if Pakistan wins against India.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

They never gave Dahani games so that he might be ready by now. That's what blind pathetic planning looks like.

For the love of god, don't blood in Naseem as his replacement. Wt20 is a different prospect altogether and importantly Naseem's fitness is not to be banked upon. He is sure to injure himself at some point.

Look to Dahani now, give him all the warm ups for heaven's sake!!!

Has Wahab retired from International Cricket?

 

[Marooned]

He got injured while fielding in a test match. I would also love to blame the management for this but it clearly isn't their fault this time. Shaheen should know not to put his body on the line while fielding.

His fitness was visibly down in last 3 series (Australia, WI and SL) though.

I don't know the exact mechanism of a tear but is it possible his physical condition made him more susceptible to it?

 

[Markhor]

Shame on Pakistan management, this was long in the making by playing him in so many useless bilaterals.

Effectively kills our chances of winning either unless our other bowlers miraculously step up.

 

[topspin]

He got injured while fielding in a test match. I would also love to blame the management for this but it clearly isn't their fault this time. Shaheen should know not to put his body on the line while fielding.

I noticed he wasn't playing against the Netherlands but this was bound to happen when you've played so much.

He's been playing too much cricket and we have too many first team players being wasted against minnows like Netherlands.

There is no concept of succession planning in Pakistan cricket and that deeply concerns me because we've never got it right.

 

[Marooned]

Has Wahab retired from International Cricket?

No need.

Dahani is superior. But they must come to him now.

 

[topspin]

Shame on Pakistan management, this was long in the making by playing him in so many useless bilaterals.

Effectively kills our chances of winning either unless our other bowlers miraculously step up.

It's why we need a team of overseas coaching staff who understand the demands of managing a team and have a grasp of succession planning.

 

[Marooned]

In 1st XI Dahani should replace him but I wonder who replaces him in the squad .

Hopefully not Hasan Ali!!

They might look at Hasnain but I'm not sure I'd do that.

I'd probably go to slightly unconventional picks.

Arshad Iqbal or Ruman Raees( if fit).

 

[javid]

Pak will still win InshaALLAH,best wishes for Shaheen,get well soon... Simply Dahani should come in and also play third One day against Netherlands....Naseem and Dhani are still unknown to most of batsman....and they will hurt reputations of some good batsman....

 

[Kohli The King of Chase]

Bad news for Pak but good chance for others to step up. Hopefully they don’t bring in Hassan Catch Drop Ali

 

[Marooned]

Pak will still win InshaALLAH,best wishes for Shaheen,get well soon... Simply Dahani should come in and also play third One day against Netherlands....Naseem and Dhani are still unknown to most of batsman....and they will hurt reputations of some good batsman....

Well yeah, I'd probably have Naseem over Waseem.

Rauf Dahani Naseem it is for me.

 

[ethan hunt]

Dahani should have played all three ODI’s against the dutch.
He probably isn’t in the plans. He is definitely a better pick than Wasim jr currently but doubt the management sees it like that

 

[javid]

Pak will still have no problems in bowling department, simply Dhani should come in ,he and Naseem will blow away any batting order and will hurt the reputations of some good batsmen..... Indian batsmen will be sweating more now bcz if they fail against rookies then you know how public us going to react... Pressure will be on Indian batsmen...

 

[Titan24]

It was due to the fielding effort during 1st Srl test. So while workload management should be talked about it has nothing to do here. I believe its not a tear as if that would have been the case recovery time would have been much more.

World T20 is the main thing, hopefully he would be fit for that.

 

[Marooned]

It was due to the fielding effort during 1st Srl test. So while workload management should be talked about it has nothing to do here. I believe its not a tear as if that would have been the case recovery time would have been much more.

World T20 is the main thing, hopefully he would be fit for that.

What is to say the builtup fatigue didn't play a part in making him more susceptible to the injury or making the injury serious enough to rule him out?

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

I'm yet to see a worse organism at its job as PCB is at running cricket.

What a joke. Pathetic board without any kind of vision.

I might tune in to watch Babar bat but that's it. Shame on you PCB.

 

[Titan24]

What is to say the builtup fatigue didn't play a part in making him more susceptible to the injury or making the injury serious enough to rule him out?

Yes there can be an indirect relation which can’t be proved but, was just mentioning there is not any direct relation. He dived on the field and that caused the issue.

 

[umarf76]

Ruled out of Asia Cup and t20i series against England and his participation for wt20 is also in doubt depending on how quickly he recovers.

Honestly speaking, I think PCB has been managing his injury awfully. There was no need to take him on a tour to Netherlands when he was injured. Travelling itself puts a lot of strain on the body.

In addition to that, PCB needs to hire some good orthopedists or take the players directly to orthopedists rather than relying on their own "medical team" that comprises of Physiotherapists. It's been over a month since he got injured and by the looks of their statements since his injury, it seems like he wasn't taken to any proper doctor. Considering there is no sports medicine in Pakistan, atleast having a good orthopedist is something PCB should look towards.

Ideally we should go with a left armer and maybe M Amir is the best option but he just does not have the pace anymore.

 

[ads101]

Well that's Asia cup gone, he's our only good pacer.

I don't see how someone like Shaheen will be able to consistently play three formats. Very few pacers do this these days it's almost unmanageable. The only ones who can are trundlers (which there are some very good ones), but Shaheen isn't that. Not saying this is the reason why he got injured this time, but it will be an issue in the future.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

I would go like with like , Akif Javed if fit should get a nod ahead , he is similar in avg pace compare to Shaheen and got a big indipper as well.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Naseem Shah will step up to put fear in the eyes of Indian batters.

 

[ElRaja]

knowing pak cricket he will pbly have his work load managed but playing less tests in the future to stay fresh for t20s vs afg and zim, lol.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Well that's Asia cup gone, he's our only good pacer.

I don't see how someone like Shaheen will be able to consistently play three formats. Very few pacers do this these days it's almost unmanageable. The only ones who can are trundlers (which there are some very good ones), but Shaheen isn't that. Not saying this is the reason why he got injured this time, but it will be an issue in the future.

Shaheen is one of those trundlers. He bowls at less then 140 clicks in Test Cricket, and in second and third spell in the mid 130s.. Only in T20 cricket for 4 overs he is able to sustain 140 plus speed.

 

[Major]

Shame on Pakistan management, this was long in the making by playing him in so many useless bilaterals.

Effectively kills our chances of winning either unless our other bowlers miraculously step up.

Had it been an injury from over bowling i would had agreed with you, but you have to look at the fact that this injury was picked up during fielding, so pcb cant be much blamed.

I know there was their worry amongst pakistani fand that he will be injured by overbowling and needs to be rested, however i believe he was only improving in bowling by getting to bowl in more and more matches.

 

[Major]

People recommending akif javed, whats the deal? Has he improved as a pacer or what?

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Every player of our playing 11 is a match winner. Wishing my team the best of luck for upcoming Asia Cup. <br><br>To the fans, keep me in your prayers for my quick recovery. I'll be back soon Inshallah <a href="https://t.co/jW9gGpWWQX">pic.twitter.com/jW9gGpWWQX</a></p>— Shaheen Shah Afridi (@iShaheenAfridi) <a href="https://twitter.com/iShaheenAfridi/status/1560968079676416000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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[MenInG]

People recommending akif javed, whats the deal? Has he improved as a pacer or what?

At this rate I may put my name in the mix as well.

When we cant play likes of Dahani who are part of the squad then this is what we will need to do!

 

[Marooned]

Shaheen is one of those trundlers. He bowls at less then 140 clicks in Test Cricket, and in second and third spell in the mid 130s.. Only in T20 cricket for 4 overs he is able to sustain 140 plus speed.

Not true. That's just a myth.

His pace dropped in Australia series which was due to fatigue. Otherwise he has maintained average pace of around 140k throughout tests prior to that.
As an example his average pace was 140k vs SA (2021 test series), just around 0.5 km slower than Nortje.

 

[Marooned]

At this rate I may put my name in the mix as well.

When we cant play likes of Dahani who are part of the squad then this is what we will need to do!

Akif is way too undercooked imo.

 

[u0sama]

Hasnain Should replaced him.

 

[reversehook]

we dont have a proper 11 india has 2 healthy 11s which can step up against anyone

 

[Hextro]

Shaheen is one of those trundlers. He bowls at less then 140 clicks in Test Cricket, and in second and third spell in the mid 130s.. Only in T20 cricket for 4 overs he is able to sustain 140 plus speed.

Shaheen is anything but a trundler but even if in some other dimension he was a trundler in ODIs and Tests like you say why would that be relevant in the Asia Cup? The Asia Cup's format is T20s in case you forgot. Shaheen is one of the fastest T20 bowlers in Asia. The only bowler faster than him in this years Asia Cup is likely to be Haris Rauf.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

Just like it always happens in Pakistan - keep playing a 18 year old consistently without much break for 4 years and it finally catches up just when you're about to play a tournament.

Infact I'd rather him sit out injured for the Asia Cup and 7 T20s against England than having him miss the T20 WC in Australia.

He needs to be aiming to get fully fit and fired up for the T20 WC that is what's most important now and there isn't much time either.

 

[Marooned]

Shaheen is anything but a trundler but even if in some other dimension he was a trundler in ODIs and Tests like you say why would that be relevant in the Asia Cup? The Asia Cup's format is T20s in case you forgot. Shaheen is one of the fastest T20 bowlers in Asia. The only bowler faster than him in this years Asia Cup is likely to be Haris Rauf.

Lulz. Their desperation. Shaheen bowled the second fastest delivery of last wc t20 and was basically as fast as Nortje on average pace last time the 2 teams met in tests.

Seems like an express trundler or something.

 

[Marooned]

Just like it always happens in Pakistan - keep playing a 18 year old consistently without much break for 4 years and it finally catches up just when you're about to play a tournament.

Infact I'd rather him sit out injured for the Asia Cup and 7 T20s against England than having him miss the T20 WC in Australia.

He needs to be aiming to get fully fit and fired up for the T20 WC that is what's most important now and there isn't much time either.

I'd rather sit him out too, even without injury.

But injury is a huge concern. It can mess up fast bowlers really bad.

Fingers crossed.

 

[Hextro]

Lulz. Their desperation. Shaheen bowled the second fastest delivery of last wc t20 and was basically as fast as Nortje on average pace last time the 2 teams met in tests.

Seems like an express trundler or something.

Shaheen being a trundler is a narrative these guys have been trying to push for a while. Shaheen is a guy that swings the ball at over 145kph and gets early wickets. Hope he doesn't lose his sharpness when he comes back.

 

[shamaan]

I wonder who will replace him. We might have to go with a spinner in his place and open the bowling with Naseem and Haris. Imad might get into the squad now.

Don't make any changes just for the sake of it .

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shaheen’s injury Big relief for the Indian top order batsmen. Sad we won’t be seeing him in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AsiaCup2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AsiaCup2022</a> Get fit soon Champ <a href="https://twitter.com/iShaheenAfridi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iShaheenAfridi</a> <a href="https://t.co/Fosph7yVHs">pic.twitter.com/Fosph7yVHs</a></p>— Waqar Younis (@waqyounis99) <a href="https://twitter.com/waqyounis99/status/1561001177445269504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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[shamaan]

Which knee ligament makes a big difference. Some WAY more severe.

ACL? PCL? MCL? LCL?

What grade strain? Or full tear?

Its proberly either lateral or medial.

 

[MenInG]

Agreed that his current injury is from a fielding effort but I have yet to see anything from PCB about what his workload is or should be. All we saw from them was stuff like he wants to play in every game and we are monitoring him closely. It appears that immediate gains have been used to threaten the future when Pakistan needed him most. I also feel that less games he had played before the World Cup, the less chances of injury.

 

[shamaan]

It's time for others to stand up and perform .I would go in with Naseem,Rauf and Dahani.

 

[TeamPak95]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shaheen’s injury Big relief for the Indian top order batsmen. Sad we won’t be seeing him in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AsiaCup2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AsiaCup2022</a> Get fit soon Champ <a href="https://twitter.com/iShaheenAfridi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iShaheenAfridi</a> <a href="https://t.co/Fosph7yVHs">pic.twitter.com/Fosph7yVHs</a></p>— Waqar Younis (@waqyounis99) <a href="https://twitter.com/waqyounis99/status/1561001177445269504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Look, I get the banter but WY is the last person I wanna see make noise to anyone and anything.

 

[TeamPak95]

Regarding Shaheen, hopefully as long he’s fit for the WT20 I’m not too worried. Plus, he’s warranted a decent amount of rest. He probably would’ve played vs Netherlands had he been healthy..

 

[PakLFC]

It's okay if not a blessing in disguise. Would rather he be rested and be ready for the WC instead of playing in this little tournament of no value. We'll find an able replacement.

 

[Anis Shivani]

It was inevitable, as many of us have been saying since the start of SSA's career. Playing him in every single meaningless game in every single format. I think the killer was the PSL this year giving in immediately to the tough 3-test Australia series. Give him rest, use him for the most important games, come on, you have so many who could fill in. Had he not been injured he would have been playing all of these Netherlands ODI's just before the Asia Cup. Play Dahani, for God's sakes.

 

[Nasty Naz]

Odd that he was being talked about being potentially ready to play 3rd ODI vs Netherlands only to be out significantly longer. Hard to ever trust PCB in medical situations.

It seems like he'll be ready for the WC though which is whats important. Not the ideal way for his workload to be managed but at least it provides Dahani plenty of opportunities to play and really prove himself. Not the worst thing for Pakistan's depth to be tested.

 

[PakHammer]

Good thing. Pakistan would have made him play all those meaningless overkill of the 7 T20s against England.

Get him fit and rested to T20 world cup.

 

[Slim]

This is terrible terrible news. Absolutely heartbreaking.

 

[Slim]

Shaheen is one of those trundlers. He bowls at less then 140 clicks in Test Cricket, and in second and third spell in the mid 130s.. Only in T20 cricket for 4 overs he is able to sustain 140 plus speed.

What a terrible post. Shows your complete lack of knowledge. Calling shaheen a trundler- clown post. I know Shaheen stings a lot to a particular country’s fans.

 

[mazkhan]

If I was shaheen I would give up test cricket which for smaller nations will be curtailed anyway due to t20 and franchises.

He should just concentrate on white ball cricket and even then select the odi games he plays

Because once these injuries niggles start happening for bowlers you see the inevitable decline especially their pace goes down.

T20 is the future so concentrate on being super fit and bowling 4 overs which won't tax a fast bowler

 

[Slim]

If I was shaheen I would give up test cricket which for smaller nations will be curtailed anyway due to t20 and franchises.

He should just concentrate on white ball cricket and even then select the odi games he plays

Because once these injuries niggles start happening for bowlers you see the inevitable decline especially their pace goes down.

T20 is the future so concentrate on being super fit and bowling 4 overs which won't tax a fast bowler

Disagree. He can simply playing fewer tests against minnows. Not drop playing tests altogether.

 

[TeymurBlake]

Pakistan seriously needs to adopt a rotation policy, specially with bowlers.

Shaheen Shah Afridi potentially could miss the T20WC will be a massive blow.

He shouldn't have been in the squad nevertheless for these Netherlands ODI.

 

[MenInG]

Aaqib Javed:

"It could be due to workload. Shaheen has been playing cricket continuously. No doubt, it's a huge loss for Pakistan before Asia Cup and the team will feel his absence"

"Team management should deal with patience. Do not panic in this situation and let Shaheen recover completely. He has a long career ahead"

"Previously, it was Amir and then Shaheen, left-arm pacers always gave tough time to Indian batters. Amir led us to victory in Champions Trophy 2017 and Shaheen in T20 World Cup 2021"

 

[Colorblind Genius]

Horrible succession planning and bench development.
Naseem shah on debut will have to lead the attack in the tournament now.
Management should be ashamed, even the likes of Arshdeep are way more experienced. We keep playing the likes of hasan ali in useless bilaterals.
Even Dahani hasnt gotten any real opportunity.

This is exactly what I am baffled about?
What's the point of paying millions upon millions to these supposedly "Professional Fitness and conditioning coaches" and whatnot?

If they can't keep the ace player's fitness under a microscope scan 24/7 to make sure he stays in the best possible shape and SURELY not picks up injuries, then I would immediately fire ALL OF THEM!

 

[Amjid Javed]

No surprise here, why travel him around for meaningless series when he wasnt fully fit, PCB once again acting like morons.

 

[Savak]

Pakistan has plenty of pacers in the national side and domestic cricket to implement a rotation policy for its pacers.

 

[Abid Z]

Omg the comments on here. He’s just one bowler. Imran, wasim, waqar, Shohaib missed so much cricket due to injuries. It’s common. Pak have other bowlers that must step up. It’s just the way it is. He needs a break anyhow.

 

[Punjab Kings]

He should be replaced by a left arm fast bowler..... that's the only weakness of Indian batsmen....
Otherwise India will feast on them.... Rohit Sharma will be a relieved person this time.

 

[Nasty Naz]

Considering there's already 4 pacers on the squad, I think there's a case to be made for simply adding another spinner and maybe just rolling with 2 pacers/3 spinners in UAE. Maybe someone like Imad.