GALLE: Pakistan pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has been ruled out of the second Test against Sri Lanka with a knee injury, the team said Thursday.

Shaheen, a left-arm quick, played a key part in the tourists’ opening win on Wednesday in Galle as he took four wickets in the first innings.

Shaheen, key for Pakistan in all three formats, was injured on the fourth day of the Test.

“Due to a knee injury sustained on the fourth day of the first Test, Shaheen Afridi will miss the second Test, which will be played in Galle from July 24,” read a team statement.

He will stay with the Test side in Sri Lanka, where his initial rehabilitation and management will continue under the supervision of the team’s medical staff, the release added.

The 22-year-old Shaheen, who has taken 99 wickets in 25 Tests since making his debut in 2018, led the Pakis­tan pace attack including Hasan Ali and Naseem Shah in the match that ended on a tense fifth day.

Opener Abdullah Shafique hit an unbeaten 160 to anchor Pakistan’s record chase of 342 at the Galle International Stadium to lead the two-match series 1-0.

HOSTS LOSE THEEKSHANA

Earlier on Thursday, Sri Lanka Cricket said that bowler Maheesh Theekshana had been ruled out of the second Test with a finger injury.

The spinner returned figures of 2-68 in Pakistan’s first innings in the opening Test. Uncapped all-rou­nder Lakshitha Manasinghe comes into the squad as replacement.

Batsman Pathum Nissanka, who contracted Covid in the middle of the second Australia Test earlier this month, returns for the final Pakistan match starting on Sunday in Galle.

The series is of vital importance for Sri Lanka, in terms of crucial World Test Championship points. After their loss in the first Test, they slipped to the sixth position in the table, with a points percentage of 48.15. Pakistan, on the other hand, moved up to the third spot, with a points percentage of 58.33.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2022