"Body in serious pain" - Shahid Afridi pulls out of PSL 2022

Quetta Gladiators star Shahid Afridi announced on Sunday that he will take no further part in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 season, saying he is in a lot of pain.

"Good bye to PSL | My body is in serious pain," the veteran Pakistan star tweeted.

In a video on his YouTube channel, he said:

"I wanted to end PSL on a good note but I have been playing with the lower-back injury for 15-16 years now and the pain is quite intense where I feel it in my groin, knee and even the fingers of the foot."

He went on to add:

"Health is everything and I can't further endure the pain."

Shahid Afridi promises to return to the field

The veteran Pakistan star has promised that he will return to the field, potentially in the Kashmir Premier League.

He also thanked his fans and said it was for them that he wanted to play the PSL season. Afridi said that his rehabilitation would take two to three months.

"I will come back on the field once again for my fans, keep me in your prayers," he said.

Afridi has played three matches this season in the PSL and picked up three wickets, two of which came in the Gladiators' last match against Islamabad United.

Afridi, 41, has represented Pakistan in 27 Tests, 398 ODIs and 99 T20 Internationals (T20Is), having made his international debut in an ODI against Kenya in October, 1996.

He retired from Tests in 2010 and brought down the curtains on his ODI career in 2015. In 2017, he retired from T20Is as well, bringing an end to an international career that spanned over 20 years.