Shaheen Afridi
Shaheen Afridi, Rishabh Pant (Credits: Twitter)

One of the world’s best pace bowlers at the moment, Shaheen Afridi would not be taking part in the upcoming Asia Cup 2022. The Pakistan pace spearhead was named in the Pakistan squad for the tournament but was later ruled out after failing to recover from a knee injury. The left-arm pacer had suffered the injury while fielding during the Galle Test against Sri Lanka last month.

Missing Shaheen Afridi would be a huge blow for the Men in Green who will we desperate to do well in the forthcoming competition after their disastrous display in the previous edition. Pakistan had failed to make it to the final in the last Asia Cup and had lost twice to arch-rivals and eventual winners India. The star bowler would not only miss the Asia Cup but also the home series against England.

Shaheen Shah Afridi (Image Credit: Twitter)
Shaheen Shah Afridi (Image Credit: Twitter)

Team India stars motivate Shaheen Afridi:

While Shaheen Afridi would be disappointed with the unfortunate injury, he must have been delighted with the way some India stars greeted and motivated him. In a video released by Pakistan Cricket Board, several India players were seen meeting the bowler and asking about his injury. The players were Yuzvendra Chahal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul.

Here is the heartwarming clip posted by PCB:

Meanwhile, Pakistan will open their campaign in Asia Cup 2022 against Team India on August 28. The tournament will get underway on August 27 with a match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. A total of six teams are participating in the competition.

India, Pakistan and Hong Kong are in Group A while Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are in Group B. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 4s. In the Super 4s, all the 4 teams will play against each other before the top two teams qualify for the final.