Shaheen Afridi starts bowling, gives update on rehabilitation

An injury to the right knee had forced Pakistan pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi  to miss the Asia Cup 2022 last month in the UAE. Afridi had played continuous cricket in the last few months including the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as well as the County Championships 2022.

Now, the tall fast bowler has given a massive fitness update on social media and he has started bowling while he continues to recuperate from the knee injury. In a video posted on his official Twitter account, Shaheen Shah Afridi was seen bowling with a short-run up. He went on to caption the video as, "Your success belongs to Allah, not your mindset."

Your success belongs to Allah,not your mindset. pic.twitter.com/RP8l7RTMcZ

— Shaheen Shah Afridi (@iShaheenAfridi) September 24, 2022

Shaheen Afridi back in Pakistan's T20 World Cup 2022 squad 

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earlier this month had named Shaheen in their 15-member squad for the next month's T20 World Cup in Australia. Pakistan will begin their campaign against arch-rivals India at the MCG on October 23. 

Shaheen would be hoping to replicate the same performance that had helped Pakistan break their 29-year World Cup jinx over the Men in Blue with a ten-wicket win in the T20 World Cup 2021. The left-arm speedster had claimed the reputed Indian top-order batters - Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and a well-set Virat Kohli that had restricted India to only 151. 

In reply, openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan made easy work of the run chase with an unbeaten 152-run stand.

Shaheen is currently undergoing a rehabilitation for his injured knee in the United Kingdom as a result of which he has ended up missing the ongoing home T20I series against England. 

In the seasoned pacer's absence, it remains to be seen who all can step up to the occasion in the ongoing seven-match T20I series ahead of the World Cup with consistent performances. The seven-match series is currently placed at 2-1 in England's favour with the fourth game in progress.