Shaheen Shah Afridi left for London on Monday, according to a statement from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), where he will finish his recovery.
Dr. Najeebullah Soomro, Chief Medical Officer for the PCB, stated: "London has some of the best sports medical and rehabilitation facilities in the world, and Shaheen Shah Afridi needs unbroken, devoted knee care. We have chosen to send the player there because it is in his best interests."
We are optimistic Shaheen will regain full fitness before the ICC Men's T20 World Cup because the medical department will receive daily feedback on his development while he is in London.
Shaheen will continue to be under the care of the PCB Medical Advisory Panel while he is in London, which also includes Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed and Dr. Zafar Iqbal who are headquartered there. Dr. Zafar has been the Head of Sports Medicine at the Crystal Palace Football Club since 2015, and Dr. Imtiaz has been the Head of Medical Services at the Queens Park Rangers Football Club since 2016. (having worked previously with Tottenham Hotspur FC, Liverpool FC and Kent County Cricket Club).
When Shaheen was fielding during the first Test match against Sri Lanka in July, he had a PCL injury. His comeback to competitive cricket will be decided upon by the PCB Medical Advisory Panel, but he is anticipated to be fully fit before the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2022.
The Pakistani team has recently struggled with injuries. Even wicketkeeper Rizwan was not totally healthy for the Asia Cup opener after Shaheen's replacement Naseem suffered an injury in his maiden game against India.