“Aa jao, aa jao” – Shaheen Afridi reveals how Haris Rauf encouraged him to return to the field after a knee injury in the T20 World Cup final

Shaheen Afridi has revealed that his teammate Haris Rauf egged him on to return to the field after a knee injury forced him to leave the ground during the T20 World Cup summit clash in November. The ace Pakistani pacer recalled how Haris kept encouraging him to come out and finish his remaining two overs.

Speaking at an event organized by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Afridi said:

“When I fell down, I thought I had cut my knee. I couldn't walk. Haris was walking with me. He was saying, ‘aa jao aa jao’ (come back, come back). I said, ‘I will come, have some patience!’"

For the uninitiated, Shaheen suffered a knee injury while taking England's Harry Brooks’ catch. The PCB medical team assessed him in the dugout. The left-arm pacer returned to complete his quota of four overs, but was only able to deliver two more balls after facing discomfort in the knee.

Afridi's 10 balls apparently made the difference as momentum shifted in favor of England, who won the match to lift the T20 World Cup trophy after 12 years.

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“I always try to give my all for Pakistan” – Shaheen Afridi

Shaheen Afridi further stated that he always took pride in representing Pakistan. He admitted to giving his 100 percent on the field, despite the swelling in his knee, until skipper Babar Azam advised him to leave the ground.

On this, he said:

“Physio said that the swelling was increasing, but I said that it is the World Cup final, and my 2 overs are important. Please tape me. But when I ran, the captain asked me to leave because my knee wasn't just supporting me at that time."

He continued:

"Meri koshish yehi rahegi ki jab tak jaan hai, iss team pe kurbaan hai. (But I always try to give my all for Pakistan).”

It's worth mentioning that the speedster was advised a two-week rehabilitation after scans confirmed there were no signs of injury.

The knee discomfort was likely due to forced knee flexion whilst landing on his foot awkwardly. As a precautionary measure, he was rested for the first Test against England in Rawalpindi, which Pakistan lost by 74 runs. He is also likely to miss the remaining two Tests.