Shaheen out of second Test with knee injury

GALLE: Pakistan pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has been ruled out of the second Test against Sri Lanka with a knee injury, the team said Thursday.

Shaheen, a left-arm quick, played a key part in the tourists’ opening win on Wednesday in Galle as he took four wickets in the first innings.

"Due to a knee injury sustained on the fourth day of the first Test, Shaheen Afridi will miss the second Test, which will be played in Galle from July 24," read a team statement.

He will stay with the Test side in Sri Lanka, where his initial rehabilitation and management will continue under the supervision of the team’s medical staff, the release added.

Afridi bowled just seven overs in Sri Lanka's second innings that lasted for 100 overs, and left the field after appearing to be in discomfort on day three. Afridi was initially seen hobbling in the field after a diving effort, and was spotted with an ice pack wrapped around his knee thereafter. He had also undergone an MRI scan in Galle.

Afridi's absence opens the door for one of fast bowler Haris Rauf or bowling allrounder Faheem Ashraf to make the XI for the second Test, if Pakistan opt for another seamer despite Galle providing spin-friendly conditions.

Pakistan's next commitment is a three-match ODI series in the Netherlands starting August 16, after which the Asia Cup T20 competition is scheduled to be held later that month. It is still unclear whether Afridi's injury is serious enough to put his participation for those games in jeopardy.

The 22-year-old Shaheen, who led the Pakistan pace attack including Hasan Ali and Naseem Shah in the match that ended on a tense fifth day, has taken 99 wickets in 25 Tests since making his debut in 2018.

In the recent home series against Australia, he took nine wickets in three Test matches. Before that, he took 10 wickets in two Tests in Bangladesh, 18 wickets in two Tests in West Indies, 10 wickets in two Tests in Zimbabwe, seven wickets in two home Tests against South Africa, and six wickets in two Tests in New Zealand. In the summer series in England in 2020, he had failed to do well, however, picking up only five wickets in three Tests. He has to his credit 11 four-wicket hauls.