Oct 16(ABC): The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed Sunday that pace ace Shaheen Shah Afridi would be available for the T20 World Cup warm-up fixture against England.
Shaheen, 22, has been sidelined since sustaining a ligament injury to his right knee during a test match in Sri Lanka in July, missing the Asia Cup and home series against England.
But now he will finally play in the field, giving Pakistan a major boost as they head into the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Afridi, who has picked up 47 wickets in 40 T20s, is key to Pakistan’s set-up, with his ability to bowl at high speeds and generate bounce likely to come in handy on Australian pitches.
Pakistan are placed in Group 2 of the World Cup alongside India, Bangladesh, South Africa and two qualifier teams.
They open the tournament with a sell-out game against India in Melbourne on October 23.
Defending champions Australia, England, New Zealand, Afghanistan, and two qualifier teams are placed in Group 1.
