Asia Cup 2022: Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez slams PCB; 'This is a criminal act'

Shaheen Shah Afridi missing the Asia Cup 2022 tournament was a huge setback for the Pakistan cricket team as he had established himself as their frontline bowler across all three formats. The left-arm pacer's presence was felt by Pakistan during the opening match of Asia Cup 2022 against India which they lost by 5 wickets. Afridi was ruled out of action in July after suffering a knee injury during a Test match against Sri Lanka. While PCB had said that the pacer would undergo further treatment and rehabilitation in London, former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Hafeez has criticised the board for the way they are handling their star bowler's injury.

Painful to watch the way Shaheen Afridi has been handled: Hafeez 

Mohammad Hafeez has slammed PCB for delaying the treatment of Shaheen Shah Afridi's knee injury especially when the T20 World Cup is coming closer. The former Pakistan skipper while talking to PTV Sports, called Afridi 'not just a Pakistani product, but an asset for the world'. Hafeez in his statement said "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 further added, "He's gone to England now, but why couldn't this decision have been made eight weeks ago? The diagnosis should have been made straightaway, and he should have been sent for the best rehab immediately. 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."

Will Shaheen Shah Afridi take part in T20 World Cup?

Shaheen Shah Afridi will be desperate to get back onto the field with T20 World Cup coming up next month. Pakistan cricket board are confident of having Shaheen Shah Afridi fit for the T20 World Cup. The recent statement released by PCB board said, "Shaheen Shah Afridi has been advised 4-6 weeks rest by the PCB Medical Advisory Committee and independent specialists following latest scans and reports. This means Shaheen has been ruled out of the ACC T20 Asia Cup and home series against England, but is expected to return to competitive cricket in October with the New Zealand T20I tri-series, which will be followed by the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Australia 2022."