Shaheen Afridi’s yorker sends Gurbaz to nearby hospital

Shaheen Afridi’s yorker in Wednesday’s T20 World Cup warm up match between Afghanistan and Pakistan sent Afghan player Rahmanullah Gurbaz to a nearby hospital for X-rays and a scan.

Pakistan pacer Afridi made his much-awaited return from a knee injury during a T20 World Cup warm-up game against England last week.

In the second warm-up game against Afghanistan, Shaheen struck twice in as many overs to give Pakistan a flying start. He dismissed Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai.

Shaheen bowled a toe-crushing yorker to Gurbaz, who was in immense pain after being struck on the left foot.

The play was stopped for a while as the physios came out to check on Gurbaz.

He was eventually carried off the field by a substitute fielder and taken to a nearby hospital. He was later seen back at the stadium, this time sporting what appeared to be a supportive cast on his leg.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan went on to post a total of 154 for six, thanks largely to skipper Mohammad Nabi’s unbeaten knock of 51.

After being put into bat, Afghanistan were reeling at 82 for six after Shaheen and Haris Rauf had rattled the top-order.

However, Nabi and Usman Ghani added 72 runs for the seventh wicket, taking Afghanistan to a strong total.

In reply, Pakistan were 19/0 in 2.2 overs before rain brought the match to an end.