Asia Cup 2022: “Pakistan fans now got an excuse”- Fans react as Shaheen Afridi ruled of Asia Cup ahead of IND vs PAK clash

Pakistan received a massive jolt as pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi was ruled out of the upcoming Asia Cup due to a knee injury. The left-arm seamer suffered a right knee ligament injury while fielding during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle last month.

The speedster has been advised to rest for four to six weeks by the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) medical team. He is unlikely to return to competitive cricket before October. Thus, the left-arm quick will also miss the upcoming home series against England next month. Pakistan will be hopeful of his recovery ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Fans quickly took to Twitter as soon as news of Shaheen Afridi getting ruled out of the Asia Cup broke on social media.

A section of fans were waiting with bated breath to watch Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli bat against Shaheen Afridi after the latter dismissed the trio in the last edition of the T20 World Cup in the UAE.

Here are some of the reactions:

Shaheen Afridi to undergo rehabilitation ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup

The youngster is currently in Rotterdam with the Pakistan squad and will continue his rehabilitation to return to full fitness before the T20 World Cup. The Landi Kotal native has established himself as a frontline bowler for his country across all three formats. He has taken 47 wickets in 40 T20Is since his debut in 2018.

In a statement, PCB's chief medical officer, Dr. Najeebullah Soomro, said:

“I have spoken with Shaheen and he is understandably upset with the news, but he is a 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.”

He added:

“PCB’s Sports & Exercise Medicine Department will be working closely with the player over the coming weeks to ensure his safe return to competitive cricket."

According to PCB, Afridi is expected to be fit for the T20I tri-series in New Zealand ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam and Co. will leave Rotterdam for Dubai on Monday (August 22). They will play against India on August 28 in Dubai.

Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2022: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi (replacement yet to be announced), Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir