Cricket News: Absence of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Jasprit Bumrah in the Asia Cup
With just seven days to go for the much-awaited arch-rival clash between India and Pakistan, the latter team has received a massive blow. Pakistan's star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has been ruled out of the Asia Cup, followed by the T20I series against England
shaheen Afridi will miss Asia cup due to ligament injuryShaheen Shah Afridi suffered a ligament injury in his right knee during the test match against Sri Lanka and has been advised a few more weeks of rest.
"Shaheen has been advised 4-6 weeks rest by the PCB Medical Advisory Committee and independent specialists following latest scans and reports," said a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) release.
Earlier this month, India, too, suffered a similar blow with their spearhead pacer Jasprit Bumrah getting ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury.
High-octane clash but in the absence of ace pacers
Shaheen Shah Afridi has been phenomenal with the new ball in the T20I format. The ICC player of 2021 became a nightmare for India's top-order batting line-up in T20 World Cup 2021.
It was Pakistan's first win against India in a World Cup, and much credit goes to the bowler who completely disrupted world-class Indian batters. Though he bagged seven wickets in the tournament, his role has been prominent as a bowler who gets early breakthroughs.
On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah has been the death overs specialist for the Men in Blue. The 28-year-old is considered a yorker specialist and one of the fiercest pacers in the world.
Both the players are a nightmare for any player standing in opposition. Though their absence is being entitled as the perfect balance for the marquee clash, it still implies a wicket-taking challenge lying ahead of other bowlers in the team.
Legendary Waqar Younis said Shaheen Afridi getting ruled out of Asia Cup 2022 is a "big relief" for Indian batters. He tweeted, "Shaheen's injury Big relief for the Indian top order batsmen. Sad we won't be seeing him in #AsiaCup2022 Get fit soon Champ @iShaheenAfridi."
The recovery and rest for these pacers are highly crucial for their teams looking ahead to the T20 World Cup.