Asia Cup 2022: Pakistan Cricket Board Announces Replacement for Injured Shaheen Shah Afridi
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday named the replacement of Shaheen Shah Afridi for the Asia Cup 2022, starting Saturday in the UAE. Mohammad Hasnain will join the Pakistan squad in place of the left-arm quick. Last week, Afridi was ruled out of the tournament after being advised a 4-6 week rest by the medical team following an injury to the right knee ligament during the last Test in Sri Lanka.
The PCB released an official statement on Monday to confirm the development. Hasnain last represented the nation in a T20I against West Indies in Karachi last year.
“Meanwhile, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed and Usman Qadir will leave for Dubai in the wee hours of Tuesday. They will replace Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Haris, Salman Ali Agha and Zahid Mehmood, who were part of the 16-member ODI squad against the Netherlands,” it added further.
Pakistan will begin their Asia Cup campaign against arch-rivals India in Dubai on Sunday while their second Group A fixture will be against a qualifier (UAE, Kuwait, Singapore or Hong Kong) in Sharjah on September 2. The Super Four matches will be played from 3-9 September.
Earlier on Saturday, the PCB stated that Shaheen was ruled out of the Asia Cup 2022 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. He had suffered a right knee ligament injury while fielding during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.
“Shaheen will stay with the squad to complete his rehabilitation. Shaheen’s replacement for the ACC T20 Asia Cup will be announced shortly. The Pakistan side will arrive in Dubai from Rotterdam on Monday,” the statement read.
Pakistan’s squad for Asia Cup 2022:
Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc) Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir.
