Former Pakistan cricketer Aaqib Javed said that the reason behind Shaheen Afridi's injury could be excessive workload after the pacer was ruled out of the Asia Cup 2022, slated to get underway on August 27 in the UAE.
Shaheen suffered a knee injury during the first Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle last month, and as a result, he didn’t play the second Test of the series. Pakistan named him for the three-match ODI series against the Netherlands and the upcoming Asia Cup despite injury concerns.
"It could be due to workload. Shaheen has been playing cricket continuously. No doubt, it's a huge loss for Pakistan before the Asia Cup and the team will feel his absence," Aaqib said while speaking to Geo News.
"Team management should deal with patience. Do not panic in this situation and let Shaheen recover completely. He has a long career ahead.”
Aaqib Javed claims that Indian batters have never been successful against left-arm pacers. He stated that the Men in Green's victory over India in the 2017 Champions Trophy final was made possible by Mohammad Amir's heroics.
The Babar Azam-led team's historic victory in the T20 World Cup 2021 clash against their arch-rivals was greatly influenced by Shaheen's outstanding performance, according to the former cricketer.
"Previously, it was Amir and then Shaheen. The left-arm pacers always gave a tough time to Indian batters. Amir led us to victory in the Champions Trophy 2017 and Shaheen in T20 World Cup 2021," he stated.
Babar Azam and his men will begin their campaign in the Asia Cup against India on August 28 in Dubai.
(GEO NEWS INPUTS)
