Due to a knee injury, Shaheen Shah Afridi will not play in the Asia Cup or the seven-match T20I series against England at home in September. He faces a battle against time to be ready for the T20 World Cup, which begins in October, after the PCB’s medical advisory council suggested “four to six weeks recovery.”
Every player of our playing 11 is a match winner. Wishing my team the best of luck for upcoming Asia Cup.
To the fans, keep me in your prayers for my quick recovery. I'll be back soon Inshallah pic.twitter.com/jW9gGpWWQX
— Shaheen Shah Afridi (@iShaheenAfridi) August 20, 2022
The next best choice, if selectors are searching for a like-for-like replacement for Afridi, seems to be fellow left-armer Mir Hamza. Hamza has only ever appeared in one match for Pakistan, a lone Test against Australia in Abu Dhabi in 2018. However, he has recently taken part in a warm-up game in Lahore against Babar Azam’s ODI team, which is sure to be on selectors’ minds. A call-up for Hamza may come as a big surprise to some, but the 29-year-old is unquestionably the finest choice if selectors are looking for a left-arm quick.