Shaheen Afridi injury: What happened to Shaheen Shah Afridi and why did he walk off the ground during T20 World Cup 2022 final?

Pakistan left-arm seamer Shaheen Afridi could not complete his full quota of overs in the T20 World Cup 2022 final after aggravating his knee while fielding. The youngster got into an awkward position while claiming the catch of Harry Brook, resulting in his knee buckling down under his own weight.

He looked in clear discomfort after taking the catch, taking his time to get on his feet.

To the joy of the Pakistani fans, Afridi seemed to be fine on the field after going out for a brief while. But when he was assigned to bowl the 16th over of the innings, he again looked uncomfortable in the run-up as he bowled the first delivery. Some deliberation later, Afridi chose to walk off and preserve his fragile knee.

The youngster looked dejected as he made his way off the field. The fans encouraged him with a warm reception while his fellow teammates comforted him as he made his way over the boundary line.

Iftikhar Ahmed completed the remainder of Afridi's over. The five-ball spell by the off-spinner was the perfect catalyst that England desperately looked for. It helped them relieve some of the pressure caused by a tight spell from Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf in the lead-up to the death overs.

Shaheen Afridi has been struggling with his knee throughout the T20 World Cup 2022

The left-arm pacer sustained an injury to his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) during the tour of Sri Lanka a few months earlier. The blow caused him to be ruled out of the 2022 Asia Cup and his participation in the T20 World Cup 2022 was in serious doubt.

Afridi underwent surgery to treat the injury and completed his rehabilitation in England. The lengthy layoff caused him to miss the home series against Pakistan as well as the tri-series in New Zealand ahead of the tournament.

Afridi made his first appearance post-injury in the warm-up matches before the Super 12s. He looked undercooked in the initial matches against India and Zimbabwe, with a rather conservative run-up and the pace being well below his standards.

However, he found his rhythm as the tournament progressed and he finished the Super 12s stages with his best-ever T20I figures against Bangladesh.

Did Pakistan take a huge risk by playing Shaheen Afridi in the T20 World Cup 2022? Let us know what you think.