"We need a friend while training" - Shahid Afridi on his special request to PCB for Shaheen Afridi's recovery

Former Pakistan skipper and current interim chief selector Shahid Afridi is fully focused on getting speedster Shaheen Afridi back to full fitness soon. The left-arm seamer had aggravated his knee injury during the T20 World Cup final and has been out of action since.

However, during Day 1 of the second Test between Pakistan and New Zealand at Karachi, Shaheen was seen training at the National Stadium. Fellow speedster Haris Rauf, who also suffered an injury recently, has been training with Shaheen.

It was Shahid Afridi's idea to let them train together. Speaking to SAMAA TV, Shahid Afridi explained the importance of Shaheen Afridi training with his mates from the Pakistan team. He said:

“I personally requested PCB to get Haris Rauf also in Karachi because the friendship should remain intact. We need a friend while training so that the atmosphere is positive.”

Shahid Afridi on Shaheen Afridi's progress

Although Shaheen Afridi is not back to full fitness yet, Shahid Afridi has claimed that the pacer has started to bowl a bit and that's certainly a huge positive for Pakistan cricket.

The former cricketer also spoke about how the board is taking care of Shaheen's workload during his recovery to ensure that he gets enough rest.

He stated:

“He has started bowling, the rehab is still on. He is in Karachi because the team is here too. Everyday they have session for hours and he finally bowled today (Monday). I think tomorrow the plan is to bat. Both rest and training are being taken care of.”

The absence of world-class pacers like Shaheen has certainly affected Pakistan and captain Babar Azam accepted this too after their 0-3 whitewash at the hands of England.

Having failed to win even a single home Test in 2022, Babar Azam and Co. will be hopeful of putting up a better showing for fans in 2023.