Shaheen Shah Afridi’s Injury: Pakistan Faces a Big Challenge Ahead of T20 World Cup
Shaheen Shah Afridi’s injury just weeks before the T20 World Cup has created a major challenge for the Pakistan cricket team. As one of Pakistan’s key pacers and a crucial part of the pace attack, his absence will be difficult to replace. While Pakistan has bowlers like Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Faheem Ashraf in the playing XI, players such as Muhammad Salman Mirza and Wasim Jr are being considered as possible replacements. The final squad decision will be revealed soon as Pakistan prepares for the mega event in India.
Muhammad Saad Ismail 
It was not just a setback for Shaheen before the T20 World Cup. Less than 35 days before the global event is set to start, the Pakistan team has options to replace Shaheen Shah Afridi, but how to fill that gap remains a question. Shaheen Shah Afridi is one of the star pacers and has always been a crucial part of Pakistan’s pace attack. In the past few years, Shaheen has made Pakistan successful many times. He is also the Pakistan ODI team captain; formerly, he was the T20 captain as well.
Recently, Shaheen was participating in the Big Bash League in Australia, where he was representing Brisbane Heat in the BBL. However, his performance was not as good as expected. Shaheen Shah got injured during a match while representing Brisbane. The injury was a bit serious, as the Pakistan Cricket Board called Shaheen back home. For Brisbane, it was not vital, but his injury cost Pakistan a lot. According to reports, it is expected that he will miss the T20 World Cup scheduled in February in India.
His absence will create a crucial space that will be hard to fill. He is going to miss his second World Cup. The Pakistan cricket team has possible replacements for Shaheen. While there are a few options that can replace him, the level of performance will not be the same. Pakistan has pacers like Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Faheem Ashraf who will be part of the XI. But in the background, many options can make it into the squad. We will discuss who can make it.
Muhammad Salman Mirza is a considerable option to make it into the Pakistan squad. He was part of the Pakistan team, representing the Greens in 11 games. Mirza took 16 wickets with an economy of 6.36, which makes him a viable option for the squad. In recent games, he played a vital role.
Wasim Jr. is also one of the names that can be in the squad to fulfill Shaheen’s gap. Wasim Jr will bring a big plus to the Pakistani squad, as he can bring batting strength as well. Wasim has taken 37 wickets while representing Pakistan in 32 games. He has power-hitting strength that can bring an extra option.
So, bringing one name from these can be a possible replacement for Shaheen Shah Afridi. It will be revealed soon who will be part of this squad for the mega event scheduled in India next month.
