'Yeh sach hai toh yeh zyatti hai' - Wasim Akram slams PCB after revelations about Shaheen Afridi's treatment

Shaheen Shah Afridi is poised to make a comeback to the Pakistan team for the T20 World Cup as the star bowler has already been confirmed for the global event in Australia, which is set to start in October. However, a startling disclosure regarding Shaheen's treatment process was revealed by former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi, which caused Wasim Akram to lash out at the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Shahid Afridi had stated that Shaheen had borne all his travel and stay expenses, stating that the PCB did not aid him financially. Last month, Shaheen traveled to the UK for his rehabilitation process owing to the knee injury, which made him miss out on the Asia Cup 2022 where Pakistan ended as runners-up.

After Shahid Afridi’s comments, the PCB released a statement confirming that Shaheen Afridi would be reimbursed for the expenses that he incurred throughout the process of his recovery in the UK. Following Shahid Afridi’s shocking revelations and PCB then covering it up with their statement, Akram bashed the cricketing board saying that they had been unfair to him.

“Yeh bohot shocking hai (This is shocking). He is one of our top...he is box-office. Aur agar yeh ladke ko hum nahin dekhenge, aur yeh sach hai, toh yeh zyatti hai. (And if we don’t look after this boy, and if all of this is true, then it has been an unfair treatment). He should have straightaway been sent to the best knee surgeon in the world. But woh akela kar raha he yeh sab (but he was doing all of this alone)...as I said I'm still shocked about it,” he said in an interview with ARY news.

PCB did nothing, Shaheen did everything on his own: Shahid Afridi

The information came to light soon after Pakistan's T20 World Cup roster was named. At the time, chief selector Mohammad Wasim had noted that Shaheen's recovery had received encouraging results and that he is expected to be back in action early next month before the World Cup.

“Shaheen went to England on his own. He bought his own ticket, he spent his own money to stay in a hotel. I arranged a doctor for him, then he contacted the doctor. PCB is not doing anything, he was doing that on his own. Everything, from coordination to doctors to his hotel room and food expenses, he is paying out of his own pocket,” Shahid Afridi has said.