WEB DESK
The entire nation could collectively see their world cup dreams disappear when they watched in horror as left-arm quick Shaheen Shah Afridi lay writing on the Melbourne ground after spectacularly taking a catch to dismiss Harry Brooks during Sunday’s ICC Twenty20 World Cup loss to England.
But after undergoing scans on Monday morning, everyone let out a collective sigh after doctors said he was not injured and just needed two weeks of rest.
In a statement from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday, it said that prior to the team’s departure from Australia, Afridi was taken to the hospital for scans on his right knee.
The scan results were discussed between PCB’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Najeebullah Soomro, and Australian knee specialist Dr Peter D’Alessandro.
The scans confirmed that there were no signs that the left-arm fast bowler had suffered an injury. However, the statement did add that Afridi continues to feel some discomfort in the knee.
The discomfort was likely “due to a forced knee flexion whilst landing,” the doctors said.
It is expected that soon after his return from Australia, Afridi will undergo rehabilitation and a conditioning program designed to strengthen his knee at the National High-Performance Center.
His return to international cricket will be subject to the fast bowler’s successful completion of the rehabilitation program and following a go-ahead by the medical staff.
Earlier in the day, there was speculation that Afridi could face months on the sidelines after some people claimed that his knee had been put into a brace, suggesting that he could be out for months and could, at that point, miss out on the upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
