A new setback has come for Pakistan before the T20 World Cup starting from February 2026. A star bowler of the team was seen limping in a match of the current Big Bash League.
It was none other than Shaheen Afridi who has had a very questionable stint with Brisbane Heat so far in the current Big Bash League season. Shaheen Afridi had another tough day on Saturday as he was punished for scoring 19 runs in an over as Australian-born Italian batsman Harry Manenti went aggressive during the clash between Brisbane Heat and Adelaide Strikers at the Gabba.
Adding to Pakistan’s worries, just before the T20 World Cup, which is just six weeks away, Afridi suffered a knee injury and had to leave the match. The incident occurred in the 14th over of the chase when Jamie Overton hit a ball from Xavier Bartlett straight down the ground. Afridi was standing at mid-on and ran to take the chance. However, he injured his knee and returned to the pavilion limping. After this incident Afridi could not complete his quota of overs.
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Shaheen Afridi left the field in the hope of quick recovery due to some discomfort#bbl15 pic.twitter.com/lVjPqPBbIE
– KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) 27 December 2025
This, of course, is another disappointment in his BBL season for Afridi, who has still not picked up the pace since losing on debut for the Heat match against Melbourne Renegades on December 15. In fact, Afridi made his first appearance for the Heat at the Simmonds Stadium, but has been dropped from the attack due to dangerous bowling. His spell was broken in the 18th over of the first innings, where he bowled two waist-high full tosses, one of which was targeted at Tim Seifert and the other at Ollie Peake. The match officials considered these balls dangerous and stopped Afridi from bowling further. Heat captain Nathan McSweeney stepped up to finish the over.
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Afridi could only sigh in relief and walked off the field, his first spell ending abruptly as he took 0/43 in 2.4 overs. Brisbane got 15 runs in his over and the umpire also gave no-balls thrice.
The left-arm fast bowler had signed up for the Big Bash League amid much hype, and there were a lot of expectations when he entered the league. Mohammad Rizwan, another Pakistani international who joined the Big Bash League around the same period, made his BBL debut playing for the Melbourne Renegades.
