Shaheen Shah Afridi believes he is “on course” for next month’s T20 World Cup despite another knock to the right knee that cut short his Big Bash League spell with Brisbane Heat. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) flew the left-arm quick home at the turn of the year and put him straight into rehabilitation. Early signs are encouraging: the swelling is minor, the scans are cleaner than feared and, crucially, Afridi expects to be bowling again within days.
“My rehab is ongoing, with the PCB team monitoring it,” he said at a Lahore Qalandars talent-hunt launch. “I’m doing gym work and working on my batting at the moment. I’ll start bowling from next week.”
He then spelled out the good news in plain terms. “It’s not as serious as it was last time. There’s a bit of swelling on the bone. The MRI report wasn’t that [concerning], this might not take a month. It’s more like a week.”
Context helps here. The same knee suffered a posterior cruciate ligament injury in Sri Lanka in 2022, keeping Afridi out for almost six months and forcing him to miss the early stages of that year’s World Cup. Even when he returned for Pakistan’s run to the final, a fresh twinge at the MCG prevented him bowling at the death as England sealed the title. Little wonder, then, that both player and board acted quickly the moment he grimaced in Brisbane.
For the Heat he managed four outings, conceding an eye-watering 11.19 runs an over for just two wickets. His very first appearance included two high full tosses – umpires removed him from the attack under the dangerous-bowling laws – and the rhythm never quite came back. Yet his Pakistan numbers from last year are healthier: only spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed took more T20I wickets.
The mixed bag extends to the wider Pakistani contingent in the BBL. Babar Azam has two fifties for Sydney Sixers but a deliberate strike-rate of 112; Mohammad Rizwan is under three figures for Melbourne Renegades; Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan have fared better with the ball. Afridi brushed off external chatter. “There’s always ups and downs in any sport,” he said. “But the aim is to learn from everywhere so that when you play for your country, you’ve improved. Our focus was that we see how we can improve when it comes to playing for our country, what errors can we rectify, what good things we can continue with. It’s not necessary that you go there and take five wickets every game or score a 50 or 100 in every game. Babar is also human. Everyone is trying to improve.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s white-ball squad is in Sri Lanka for a short series that doubles as reconnaissance: all of their World Cup group matches will be played on the island, which is co-hosting with India. Afridi, appointed ODI captain last year, sees direct value. “We’ve played a lot of good cricket over the last year,” he noted. “Anytime you go to a country before a tournament and play some games there, it helps the players and I hope it does in this case also.”
From a medical standpoint, the PCB has opted for cautious progression. Afridi is limiting lateral movement, concentrating on strength work and, interestingly, fine-tuning his batting – a nod to the modern expectation that bowlers, particularly in T20s, must contribute handy runs. Assuming no setbacks once he returns to bowling, he should join the squad in Sri Lanka in late January, giving him at least two warm-up fixtures before Pakistan’s opener.
None of this guarantees the old, snarling Afridi who can york batters at will. He has spent sizeable chunks of the last three years in treatment rooms and gyms; a rhythm bowler, he needs overs to find that late swing that makes him so dangerous. Yet by confronting this latest scare early – and by keeping the language cautious rather than triumphalist – player and board have, for now, kept a familiar nightmare at bay.
There will be nerves until he sprints in for his first over of the World Cup. For the moment, though, the prognosis is upbeat, the rehab plan is clear, and Shaheen Shah Afridi is talking like a man who expects to be centre stage rather than on the sidelines when Pakistan’s campaign begins.
