Cricket

Asif Afridi out of National T20 Cup after suffering freak injury

LAHORE: FATA’s left-arm spinner Asif Afridi has been ruled out of the National T20 Cup after suffering a freak training incident here at Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday evening.

“Asif was struck below his right eye during a training accident. The left-arm spinner was practicing when a ball deflected off a pole and hit his eye,” the PCB said in a statement.

According to the statement, the skipper of the FATA region in the ongoing National T20 Cup was taken to hospital for scans. The scans revealed a fracture in his Zygomatic bone, ruling him out from the tournament.

The PCB medical department is closely monitoring his situation and progress while preparing his rehabilitation plan in consultation with concerned eye specialists.

The 38-year-old is also part of Pakistan Super League 10th edition. He was selected by Lahore Qalandars during the player draft held in Lahore on January 13.

For the unversed, the ongoing National T20 Cup is taking place in three cities of Pakistan: Faisalabad, Lahore, and Multan.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The domestic cricket tournament features 18 teams from 16 regions. A total of 39 matches will be played throughout the tournament.

The Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad is set to host 23 matches, including the tournament’s knockout rounds. In Lahore, matches will take place at the Gaddafi Stadium and the LCCA Ground, while the Multan Cricket Stadium will accommodate eight games.

The board has announced a prize pot of PKR 9.4 million for the National T20 Cup. The winning team will get five million, while the runners-up will take PKR 2.5 million.

The 18 teams are divided into four groups: Karachi Region (Blues), Lahore Region (Whites), Larkana Region, Peshawar Region, and Quetta Region, all placed in Group A.

In Group B, defending champions Karachi Region (Whites) are placed alongside Bahawalpur Region, Dera Murad Jamali Region, Islamabad Region and Lahore Region (Blues).

In Group C, Abbottabad Region, Faisalabad Region, Hyderabad Region and Rawalpindi Region will go head-to-head, while Group D will see AJK Region, FATA Region, Multan Region and Sialkot Region play each other.

READ: Khushdil Shah fined for ICC Code of Conduct breach

A Sports

Recent Posts

FATA ease past AJK to make a winning start in National T20 Cup

LAHORE: A strong batting and bowling performance led FATA to a four-wicket victory against Azad…

4 hours ago

Peshawar Zalmi pick explosive batter Mitchell Owen after Bosch withdraws from PSL 10

Peshawar Zalmi has picked explosive Australian batter Mitchell Owen in the Supplementary category after Corbin…

4 hours ago

Khushdil Shah fined for ICC Code of Conduct breach

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has penalized Pakistan all-rounder Khushdil Shah for breaching the code…

6 hours ago

Pakistani-origin Australian cricketer dies during match played in extreme heat

Junaid Zafar Khan, a Pakistan-origin club cricketer in Adelaide, has died after collapsing on the…

8 hours ago

Stuart Broad cautions ECB against making Ben Stokes ODI captain

Former England cricketer Stuart Broad has warned the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) against…

9 hours ago

Barcelona mount late comeback to stun Atletico Madrid in La Liga thriller

Barcelona battled back from two goals down to beat Atletico Madrid 4-2 and land an…

11 hours ago