Former Pakistani all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was furious with the Pakistan Cricket Board for the way they handled the injury of Shaheen Afridi. While speaking to PTV Sports, he expressed his displeasure on the events that transpired with respect to the fast bowler’s injury and termed the entire fiasco as a “Criminal Act”.
Afridi, who has been one of Pakistan cricket’s biggest trump cards in recent months, is currently overcoming a knee ligament injury. It was being reported that he picked up this injury during the 1st Test against Sri Lanka just a few weeks ago, but PCB did not act immediately. The board confirmed that he would be rehabilitating while he travels with the team.
Earlier this week, they had announced that he will be traveling to England to receive specialist knee care. This came as a shocker for plenty of fans, as the common opinion among all of them was he should have been sent to England well before to ensure they don’t miss out on his services for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Hafeez expressed his disappointment over the same issue, suggesting that he (Shaheen) should’ve been treated better. He added that a lot of time has been wasted and the player shouldn’t be waiting this long for proper medical care. He also termed that Shaheen Afridi is an asset for world cricket, not just Pakistan.
“It pains me how Shaheen’s affair has been handled. He is being groomed, and the whole world wants to watch him, so we need to look after him in the right way.
Since the PCB announcement [that Shaheen was being sent to London for specialist treatment], it was clear that Shaheen had been injured for several weeks, and that time has been wasted. This is a criminal act,”
he said.
He also stated that the diagnosis should have been made straightaway, and he should have been sent for the best rehab immediately.
“He’s gone to England now, but why couldn’t this decision have been made eight weeks ago? The fact he needs to be sent abroad for treatment is unfortunate in its own right, because we in Pakistan have been unable to upgrade our own medical facilities,”
he added.
Pakistan currently are missing out on his services in the ongoing Asia Cup. He was witnessing the high-profile clash against India from the stands, and as it stands, there are some major doubts lingering over the time it might take for the bowler to recover.
With his imperious ability to combine pace and swing, Afridi has become one of the finest bowlers in the world lately. In the previous edition of the ICC T20 World Cup held in UAE, he was a pivotal force in driving Pakistan to the semifinals, where they lost out by the barest of margins against the eventual champions Australia.
His steep progress earned him captaincy responsibilities at his PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars, and he worked his wonders straight away. Besides leading the side to their first-ever PSL triumph, he also picked up 20 wickets in 13 games and finished as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Notably, Hafeez was also a huge part of the same Qalandars unit, who chipped in with 323 runs.
Before the big tournament begins in Australia, Pakistan will host England in international cricket’s first-ever seven-match T20I bilateral series, which will begin on September 20. Afridi is not expected to be a part of it, as it stands.
