Asia Cup 2022: Never Easy To Replace A Player Like Shaheen Afridi – Saqlain Mushtaq

Pakistan head coach Saqlain Mushtaq acknowledged that it will be difficult for the team to fill the absence of Shaheen Afridi in the upcoming events.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued a statement on Saturday (August 20) where they mentioned that Afridi needs rest for four-six weeks to recover from a knee injury. 

The latest scans and reports are not a good sign for the Pakistan men’s team as their bowling spearhead is set to miss Asia Cup 2022 followed by the seven-match T20I series against England at home.

Will Pakistan be able to fill Shaheen Afridi’s apt replacement?

Afridi picked up the right ligament knee injury while fielding during the first Test against Sri Lanka last month and hasn’t played any match for the national team since then. He recently missed the three-match ODI series against the Netherlands in Rotterdam, though he was available with the squad.

Shaheen starred during Pakistan’s emphatic 10-wicket win against India in the 2021 T20 World Cup. The lanky left-arm pacer claimed the wickets of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli to restrict India to a below-par score.

Losing Shaheen Afridi is a big setback for us: Saqlain Mushtaq

Mushtaq said replacing a quality player like Shaheen won’t be easy for them but showed faith in the other bowlers of the team. 

“Obviously, losing Shaheen is a big setback to us before the tournament and for the England series because he is someone who has proven himself at the top level and done well against the best batsmen,” Saqlain said in a press conference. 

“It is never easy to replace a player like Shaheen because of his quality but the resources we have are good and we are backing them to deliver for us.

“His (Afridi’s) injury is unfortunate but we are hoping he recovers soon as we have important cricket coming up,” he added.

 Pakistan pacer Mohammad Hasnain on Monday (August 22) was named replacement for Shaheen Afridi in the national squad for the Asia Cup.

Also Read: India vs Pakistan: Pakistan Is More Dependable On Shaheen Afridi Than India Are On Jasprit Bumrah – Aaqib Javed