The ace Pakistan pacer, Shaheen Shah Afridi, has been certified fit and will play the first match of the T20 World Cup 2022 against India on October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), according to PCB chief Ramiz Raja.
Afridi did not play in the Asia Cup 2022 or the England T20Is at home. He is not participating in the ongoing New Zealand T20I tri-series, which also includes Bangladesh. Ramiz told Pakistani news channel Dawn News that Afridi will return for the World Cup. However, there is some terrible news: leg spinner Usman Qadir has injured himself.
"Usman Qadir injured, hair line fracture in finger, we will see what option we have, Fakhar Zaman also getting better, I feel he can be very important, but its a call of team management about him and X1" Ramiz Raja told Dawn News.
Shaheen has been dealing with knee problems since the July Test series against Sri Lanka. Before things grew worse, he was travelling with the team. He subsequently travelled to London to begin his rehabilitation. At the time, his soon-to-be father-in-law, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, disclosed that Shaheen was spending his own money in London, from medical bills to hotel bills. Later, Raja broke his silence and stated that the PCB will reimburse all of his expenses.
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Shaheen's return is a significant boost for Pakistan, who are counting on their bowling attack to win their second World Cup. They already have a fast attack in Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Wasim.
On the other side, India was dealt a major blow when the BCCI confirmed that their star pacer Jasprit Bumrah will miss the 2022 World Cup owing to a back ailment. His replacement has yet to be identified as selectors await the conclusion of the ODI series against South Africa, in which many major contenders such as Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj, and Deepak Chahar are participating. Mohammed Shami, who is also in the reserves, is another option.
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