Hafeez acting knee-dy

Batsman consults independent sports surgeon after being let down by PCB medical staff

KARACHI: Right-handed batsman Mohammad Hafeez is working on his own to recover from a knee injury in time for the tour of England, with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) medical staff only worsening the injury.

The top-order batsman flew to Karachi yesterday to have MRI scans done at the Aga Khan Hospital as his previous scans were deemed inappropriate to decide the seriousness of the injury and the status of his recovery.

He was advised to get a new MRI with 3T resolution by sports rehabilitation surgeon Dr Zafar Iqbal — who is currently associated with Crystal Palace and has previously worked with the Liverpool Football Club.



Hafeez contacted Dr Zafar himself, after taking permission from the board, and the specialist has been helping him free of charge.

The batsman will now send his new scans to Dr Zafar, with the surgeon likely to consult a radiologist in the UK.

“I’ve come to Karachi to get my new MRIs and I hope I will be able to recover in time for the England series,” Hafeez told The Express Tribune. “I see the tour of England as a big challenge. I’m trying my best to recover in time.”



Board’s botched attempt

When the Pakistan team returned from India after the World T20, it was thought that a few weeks would be enough for Hafeez to recover but PCB medical panel head Dr Sohail Saleem left the board in the meantime.

After Dr Saleem’s departure, no one contacted Hafeez for two weeks. It was only when the batsman received a call to finalise the names for the Pakistan Cup that the board received a reminder of Hafeez being unfit.

Once the PCB took interest in the matter, a chart was laid out for Hafeez to work on and he did so under the guidance of the National Coaching Academy’s medical panel.

But, according to independent radiologists, Hafeez was not ready for all the load put on his body and he was told he still has bone edema. To make matters worse, the extra load put on his knee ended up damaging a cartilage.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2016.

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