Islamabad: Pakistan pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi yesterday underwent surgery, a week after a knee injury forced him on the sidelines during the T20 World Cup final against England in Melbourne. In a tweet, Shaheen said that he had an appendectomy a surgery to remove the appendix when it is infected adding that he was feeling better now.

During the World Cup final, Shaheen had landed awkwardly on his right knee while taking a catch to dismiss batter Harry Brook in what ended up being a five-wicket defeat for Babar Azam and co. before aborting his third over the 15th of the innings after the first delivery. The 22-year-old came into the World Cup after 12 weeks on the sidelines following a knee injury during a Test match against Sri Lanka in July and the setback in the final triggered fears over his long-term future as Pakistan’s premier fast bowler.

Last week, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had “advised” Shaheen two weeks of rehabilitation adding that the feared injury was nothing but “discomfort” following impact during the fielding effort. It had said that Shaheen would undergo a “rehabilitation and conditioning programme”, designed to strengthen his knee at the National High-Performance Centre for a few days.

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 21 2022

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