Former Pakistan cricketer Inzamam-ul-Haq on Monday (22nd August) explained why Shaheen Afridi’s injury is a massive setback for Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022.
Afridi suffered a right knee ligament injury and was advised 4-6 weeks of rest by the medical team. The left-arm seamer was injured during the Test series against Sri Lanka and despite being part of the squad, he was rested from the ongoing ODI series against the Netherlands. He was expected to make his return during the Asia Cup.
Afridi not being there will be a massive blow for Pakistan as the last time he faced India in the T20 World Cup 2021, he rattled the arch-rivals' top order and was also awarded Player of the Match. Not only against India, but he will be a big miss for his team in the tournament.
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Several fans and pundits have raised their concern about the pacer missing the tournament They feel that Shaheen will be a big miss and the news related to his injury has been everywhere.
Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, Inzamam Ul Haq said that Shaheen being ruled out of the Asia Cup is a massive setback for Pakistan. He cited the example of his performance against India in the T20 World Cup 2022, saying that the pacer creates pressure from the first over.
“It’s a massive setback for Pakistan that Shaheen Afridi is out of the Asia Cup. If you look at the last match against India, he created pressure right from the very first over in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup. It’s a tough decision for Pakistan as Shaheen has been ruled out of the tournament, but injuries are part of the game,” Inzamam-ul-Haq said.
Haq also talked about the clash between India and Pakistan and also raised concern over the consistency in Pakistan’s batting line-up.
He believes that apart from skipper Babar Azam, no one is scoring runs consistently which makes him tense.
“It will be a thrilling match since India versus Pakistan matches are always entertaining. We can witness exciting cricket action since both teams are good in T20IsI am tensed about one particular aspect of Pakistan cricket.
“For example, Fakhar Zaman scored a century against the Netherlands but got quiet in the next couple of innings. Other players like Muhammad Rizwan also hit a century but didn’t continue their form. Babar Azam is the only player who is scoring runs consistently,” he said.
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Haq highlighted that things will be challenging and if Babar gets out early someone needs to take responsibility. He advised the Pakistan players to maintain consistency if they are in good touch.
“When you enter a tournament like the Asia Cup, it gets challenging because if Babar gets out, other players need to take responsibility. If you find the touch, try to continue it. There should not be a gap of 2-3 innings. It won’t take your team to new heights,” he said.
Mohammad Hasnain, who is currently playing for Oval Invincibles in the Hundred competition in England, will replace the injured Shaheen in Pakistan’s squad.
The Asia Cup 2022 gets underway on 27th August in UAE with Sri Lanka taking on Afghanistan in the tournament opener. Pakistan will begin their campaign against India on Sunday (28th August).
