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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced Mohammad Hasnain as Shaheen Shah Afridi's replacement for 2022 Asia Cup. The right-arm paceman has taken 17 wickets in 18 T20Is.
Afridi, Pakistan's leading pacer across formats, will miss the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup due to a right ligament injury. The left-arm seamer will also not be part of the subsequent seven-game T20 series against England.
PCB Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Najeebullah Seemro issued a statement regarding Afridi:
"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."
Hasnain, the 22-year old pacer, will join the squad from the United Kingdom where he is representing the Oval Invincibles in the Hundred competition. The youngster has taken five scalps in four games at 21, but has conceded runs at 11.45 per over.
Mohammad Hasnain was recently cleared to bowl in international cricket
It's worth noting that the youngster's actions came under the spotlight during the Big Bash League (BBL) in January 2022 while representing the Sydney Thunder. Hence, he faced suspension from bowling in international cricket the following month.
His tests took place at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, an ICC-accredited testing laboratory, on January 21st 2022 when his bowling action was found illegal. Eventually, in June this year, he was cleared to bowl again.
It remains to be seen if the speedster finds a place in Pakistan's XI in the tournament. Babar Azam & co. will open their Asia Cup campaign against India on August 28 in Dubai. They recently whitewashed the Netherlands in a three-match ODI series, which concluded on Sunday.
