Shaheen Afridi resumes rehabilitation ahead of white-ball series against New Zealand

Pakistan ace pacer Shaheen Afridi has resumed his rehabilitation ahead of the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand. The left-arm seamer was seen stretching under the supervision of PCB medical staff in Karachi on Monday, January 2.

Sharing a post on Twitter, Pakistan Cricket wrote:

“Shaheen Afridi resumes his rehabilitation under the national men’s team’s medical staff in Karachi today.”

For the uninitiated, Afridi’s knee injury - which forced him to miss the Asia Cup 2022 - resurfaced during England’s chase in the T20 World Cup final on November 13. The incident took place while taking Harry Brook’s catch. He could only bowl 2.1 overs out of his four overs.

The scans showed there was no sign of injury. The pain was due to forced knee flexion while landing on his foot. Afridi was advised a two-week rehabilitation. He also underwent a successful appendectomy on November 20.

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Shaheen Afridi to boost Pakistan in white-ball series against New Zealand

Shaheen Afridi’s return will boost the Pakistani team, which failed to live up to expectations in the absence of the left-arm seamer.

As a precautionary measure, he was rested for the three-match Test series against England at home, where Babar Azam and Co. lost 3-0. The 22-year-old was also rested in the ongoing two-Test series against New Zealand.

In a recent interview, Afridi said he’ll soon make his comeback along with Haris Rauf.

“Hum unfit nahi hue hai, hume nazar lag gayi hai. Inshallah! Aisi koi baat nahi nahi hai. Hum dono bohot jaldi ground me nazar ayenge. Inshallah fully fit, yeh thodi sin nazar lag gayi (We are not unfit, it’s the evil eye. There’s nothing to be worried about, and by the will of almighty Allah, both of us will be seen in action fully fit really soon. This time it was the evil eye).”

Afridi is expected to return for Pakistan with a bang heading into the 2023 50-over World Cup. He has already scalped 62 wickets in 32 ODIs, including seven four-wicket hauls.

It's worth mentioning that Karachi will host the entire three-match ODI series, which begins on Monday, January 9.