Thousands of books on how Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ruined the careers of many by mishandling their injuries can be written and the ink would never run dry. The PCB has a habit of messing up the injuries of its players – especially the fast bowlers, who are more prone due to the toll the hard work takes on their bodies.
The examples of Junaid Khan and Rumman Raees are there for everyone to see. Few would argue that the board would have learnt its lessons by now, however, the reality suggests otherwise. In July earlier this year, Pakistan’s star fast bowler Shaheen Afridi suffered from a PCL injury while diving to stop the ball.
While the PCB did not ever plan on making public the details of the injury, it did however inadvertently do it by sharing a video clip of Shaheen having a chat with India’s Virat Kohli. The fans had been kept in dark until then. And although he had been ruled out of the Asia Cup, he was still travelling alongside the team to the Netherlands and the UAE.
The PCB shared an update on Shaheen’s injury yesterday stating that he had been flown to London because he “requires uninterrupted, dedicated knee specialist care and London offers some of the best sports medical and rehabilitation facilities in the world. In the best interest of the player, we have decided to send him there.”
The question is, why did the PCB not send him straightaway after knowing that he would need a dedicated knee specialist care to recover? Why was he made to bowl in the nets during the Netherlands tour? Have we not seen how messed up injuries have ruined many a careers?
Why are we not willing to learn from our mistakes? The PCB states that it remains “confident that Shaheen will return to full fitness before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.” Why then did it take the PCB four weeks to send him to London following his injury?
One can only hope and pray that Shaheen’s case is dealt a little differently than what the PCB’s history suggests. But the way things have shaped, it appears that his story is going to be no different.