Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi on Sunday underwent surgery, a week after a knee injury forced him on the sidelines during the T20 World Cup final against England in Melbourne.
In a tweet, Shaheen said that he had an appendectomy — a surgery to remove the appendix when it is infected — adding that he was feeling better now.
Had an appendectomy today but Alhumdulillah feeling better. Remember me in your prayers. ???? pic.twitter.com/M70HWwl9Cn
— Shaheen Shah Afridi (@iShaheenAfridi) November 20, 2022
Shaheen aborted his third over, the 15th of the innings, after the first delivery during the World Cup final after landing awkwardly on his right knee when collecting a catch to eliminate batsman Harry Brook in what ended up being a five-wicket loss for Babar Azam and company.
The 22-year-old entered the World Cup after missing 12 weeks due to a knee injury sustained during a Test match against Sri Lanka in July. The defeat in the championship match raised doubts about his long-term viability as Pakistan’s top fast bowler.
Shaheen was “recommended” by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) last week to take two weeks off from playing cricket in order to recover, adding that the feared injury was actually just “discomfort” from impact during the fielding effort.
It had said that Shaheen would undergo a “rehabilitation and conditioning program”, designed to strengthen his knee at the National High-Performance Centre for a few days.
