Afridi out of 2nd SL Test with knee injury

Pakistan pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has been ruled out of the second Test against Sri Lanka with a knee injury, the team said on Thursday.

Shaheen, a left-arm quick, had a critical impact in the tourists’ opening win on Wednesday in Galle as he took four wickets in the first innings.

“Due to a knee injury sustained on the fourth day of the first Test, Shaheen Afridi will miss the second Test, which will be played in Galle from July 24,”

read a team statement

He will remain with the Test side in Sri Lanka, where his underlying recovery and management will go on under the supervision of the team’s medical staff, the release added.

The 22-year-old Shaheen, who has taken 99 wickets in 25 Tests since making his presentation in 2018, drove the Pakistan pace assault remembering Hasan Ali and Naseem Shah for the match that finished on a strained fifth day.

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Opener Abdullah Shafique hit an unbeaten 160 to secure Pakistan’s record pursuit of 342 at the Galle International Stadium to lead the two-match series 1-0. Pakistan won the first Test by four wickets, and Afridi contributed four wickets. The second test in Galle begins on Sunday.

Pakistan will be without Shaheen for the second Test in Sri Lanka #SLvPAK https://t.co/K85zYfYrqU

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 21, 2022