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Shahid-Afridi
Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has been ruled out of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season six due to a back injury. Afridi was practicing in Karachi for the forthcoming league games when he experienced pain in his lower back. After the injury, the former was examined by a doctor who has advised him complete rest. Shahid Afridi, who represented Sultans' four Karachi-leg matches, has now been replaced by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's left-arm-spinner Asif Afridi. Asif will be joining the Multan Sultan's squad in Abu Dhabi. The 34-year-old has played around 42 T20I matches. In those, he has amassed 386 runs at an average of 18.4 and strike rate of 141.4. Asif has also picked 33 wickets at an economy rate of 7.51 and an average of 25.4.
The absence of all-rounder Shahid will be a massive blow for the franchise as he has a lot of experience. The 44-year-old has played in 99 T20 Internationals, scoring 1416 runs at a strike rate of 150. He has also claimed 98 wickets at an economy rate of 6.63.
Pakistan Super League season 6 is scheduled to start June 5
Earlier the PCB was thinking of completing the remainder of PSL next year. This was due to the hectic schedule of Pakistan and strict policy from The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) about the protocols and bio-bubbles. Later the cricket board decided to organize the tournament. The remainder of the league is slated to commence from June 5, considering the conditions will get hotter in the latter part of June and July. Karachi was then eventually the venue decided to host the remainder of PSL matches. However, the National Command and Operations Authority, which monitors the COVID-19 situation, advised it against hosting the competition again in Karachi.
Talking about the first half of PSL, four teams are locked in six points, apart from Multan Sultans, who are currently struggling at the bottom of the table. Mohammad Rizwan is presently the top run-scorer with 297 runs. Meanwhile, Islamabad United has included left-handed batsman Umar Amin and West Indies opening batsman Brandon King. The latest additions mean that the franchise has now had a complete 20-player squad. Peshawar Zalmi has also roped in Hazratullah Zazai with Sameen Gul and Khalid Usman as reserve players in their team.