“I’m still shocked” – Wasim Akram after Shahid Afridi’s comment on Shaheen Afridi; PCB clears air

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram expressed shock after former teammate Shahid Afridi said that pacer Shaheen Afridi is bearing his own cost for treating his knee injury.

Speaking to ARY News, Akram said:

“Yeh bahot shocking he (It’s extremely shocking). He is one of our top… he is box-office. Aur agar yeh ladke ko hum nahin dekhenge, aur ye sach he, toh yeh zyati he (If we don’t look after him, then it’s cruel if it’s true).

He continued:

“He should have straightaway been sent to the best knee surgeon in the world. But woh akela kar raha he ye sab (He is doing it by himself)… as I said, I’m still shocked about it.”

Earlier, Shahid had pointed fingers at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Speaking to Samaa TV, he said:

"I arranged a doctor for him there and he contacted him. PCB is providing nothing to Shaheen."

PCB gives epic reply to Shahid Afridi

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) indirectly gave a reply to Shahid Afridi regarding Shaheen Afridi’s rehabilitation in the UK.

In a press release, it wrote:

"It goes without saying that the PCB has always been and will continue to be responsible for arranging medical care and rehabilitation of all its players requiring any treatment."

Shaheen was ruled out of the Asia Cup due to a knee injury. He is undergoing rehab in London and will join the Pakistan squad for the T20 World Cup in Brisbane on October 15.

The left-arm seamer has also been named in the Pakistan squad for the tri-series involving New Zealand and Bangladesh. The 22-year-old is key to Babar Azam and Co’s success in the ICC tournament.

The Men in Green will play arch-rivals India on October 23 in their opening match of the 2022 T20 World Cup.

Pakistan squad for the T20 World Cup:

Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khusdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Usman Qadir.

Traveling reserves: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris, Shahnawaz Dahani.