Shaheen Afridi is our hero, says Ramiz Raja

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not abandoned bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, said Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja while lamenting what he called an unwarranted controversy.

Former all-rounder Shahid Khan Afridi stated on September 15 that Shaheen personally paid for all costs associated with his treatment of knee injury in London.

Responding to a cricket fan on social media on Friday, the PCB chief  said, "How can anyone imagine that Shaheen Shah Afridi's parent body [the PCB] may leave him unaided?" The fan said the board should have provided Afridi with all world-class facilities he needed.

"This is impossible. It is beyond comprehension that the PCB would leave him on his own to deal with this. This is unfortunate that the uncalled-for controversy has been stoked."

It was the PCB that served batsman Mohammad Rizwan while he had health issues during the world cup, he said. "The panel of our doctors kept tending to him through the night, helped him recover and made it possible for him to play the final."

Ramiz Raja also presented the example of batsman Fakhar Zaman who is traveling abroad for rehabilitation at the PCB's expense.

The PCB chairman attributed the Shaheen controversy to the potential lack of clarity. According to him, he [Shaheen Afridi] needed to scurry out of Dubai when he faced some ticketing problems.

"For the PCB, players are the most significant stakeholders," Raja said. "No other cricket board is doing what the PCB is doing for its players—international and domestic."

Shahid Afridi says PCB not supporting Shaheen financially

On September 15, former cricketer Shahid Khan Afridi made a shocking revelation about Shaheen Shah Afridi's ongoing knee rehabilitation in London.

Speaking to a local TV channel, Shahid claimed that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was not providing financial support to Shaheen for his rehabilitation.

"Shaheen went to England for rehabilitation at his own expense. I arranged a doctor for him there and he contacted him. PCB is providing nothing to Shaheen," revealed Shahid who is going to be Shaheen's father-in-law.