Shaheen Afridi to return to Pakistan from the BBL after picking up knee injury

SYDNEY: A knee injury has ended Shaheen Shah Afridi’s stint with Brisbane Heat in the BBL. The PCB has called him back from Australia to start his rehabilitation, with an eye on the T20 World Cup in February-March in India and Sri Lanka.

A statement from Heat said Afridi “will be further reviewed upon the team’s return from Adelaide”, where they will play their next game on Wednesday against Adelaide Strikers, suggesting that Afridi might return to Pakistan after that process.

Additionally, “I’m massively thankful to the Brisbane Heat team and fans for showering me with immense love and support,” Afridi wrote on his social media handle. “Due to an unexpected injury, I have been called back by the PCB and will have to take a rehab. Hopefully, I will be back in the fields soon. Meanwhile, I will be cheering for the amazing team.”

Heat are also waiting on Tom Alsop (knee injury) and Nathan McSweeney (ankle injury), who have both resumed training.

In what was his first season in the BBL, Afridi was part of a strong contingent of Pakistani cricketers, including the likes of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Haris Rauf. But he could play just four games and didn’t have a particularly memorable time of it: just two wickets and an economy rate of 11.19.

That aside, in what was his first match for Heat, Afridi was removed from the Heat attack for what was deemed dangerous bowling, after he sent down two waist-high full-tosses, to Tim Seifert and Oliver Peake, in the 18th over of Melbourne Renegades’ innings.

Afridi appeared to have picked up the injury while bowling in the 14th over of Adelaide Strikers’ chase of Heat’s 179 for 9 on December 27 when he limped off pointing to his right knee.