Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi
Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi. Credits: Twitter

Sikander Bakht, a former Pakistan cricketer, made a huge claim on Shaheen Afridi after he was ruled out of the Asia Cup due to a knee injury.

Pakistan will begin its campaign in the Asia Cup 2022 against arch-rivals India on August 28 (Sunday).

Pakistan National Cricket Team
Pakistan National Cricket Team. Image: PCB

However, the team suffered a serious setback just before the start of the competition when their standout pacer Shaheen Afridi was forced to withdraw owing to a knee injury. Afridi had the injury during the first Test of the series against Sri Lanka last month, and despite travelling to the Netherlands with Pakistan to follow up with the team physio, Afridi was unable to fully recover.

Babar Azam Pakistan
Pakistan Cricket Team, Image: Twitter

However, the fast bowler stays with the Pakistani team in the UAE when it competes in the continental competition.

Shaheen Afridi is such an important player: Sikander Bakht

Former Pakistan cricketer Sikander Bakht also blasted the think-tank for continuously playing Afridi.

“When I wrote about it, individuals took my class and said he got hurt while fielding.” But my point is that it is a significant loss. Your main bowler, who instils dread, is not on the field. You cannot replicate Shaheen, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, or Waqar Younis. “Shaheen is one-of-a-kind; he has a natural talent,” Bakht stated on Geo News.

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Aaqib Javid, Shaheen Afridi, Virat Kohli
Shaheen Afridi, Virat Kohli. (Photo: Twitter)

Earlier, Mohammad Hasnain was named to Pakistan’s 15-man team for the Asia Cup 2022, replacing left-arm bowler Shaheen Afridi. Mohammad Hasnain, 22, has represented Pakistan in eight One-Day Internationals, taking 12 wickets at an average of 37.91 with best bowling stats of 5/26. The bowler has appeared in 18 T20Is for Pakistan, taking 17 wickets at an average of 30.70 and with the top statistics of 3/37.

Also Read: Asia Cup 2022: I Really Enjoy Bowling To The Likes Of Babar Azam, Virat Kohli And Kane Williamson – Rashid Khan