Star left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has been ruled out of the Asia Cup T20 tournament starting later this month due to a knee injury he picked up in Sri Lanka.

“Shaheen Shah Afridi has been advised 4-6 weeks rest by the PCB Medical Advisory Committee and independent specialists following latest scans and reports. This means Shaheen has been ruled out of the ACC T20 Asia Cup and home series against England, but is expected to return to competitive cricket in October with the New Zealand T20I tri-series, which will be followed by the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Australia 2022,” the board said in a statement.

Shaheen had suffered a right knee ligament injury while fielding during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. It had already forced him to miss the second Test. The left-armer has accompanied the team to the Netherlands for a three-match one-day international series and was in rehabilitation before doctors advised him to rest for four to six weeks, reported AFP.

India take on Pakistan in Dubai on August 28. The men in blue will be without the services of Jasprit Bumrah, who has been left out of the squad to recover from a back issue.

The 15th edition of the tournament will be played in the UAE between six teams (main event). Defending champions India are also the most successful team, having won the trophy seven times. While the last edition of the tournament was held in an ODI format, this edition will feature the T20 format.

The six teams are divided into two groups with India, Pakistan and a qualifying team in Group A and Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan forming Group B. Each team plays the other once in the group stage with the top two teams from each group advancing to the Super 4 round. The top 2 teams from Super 4 will qualify for the final.