Karachi, Dec 18 (PTI) Promising young Pakistan pacer Ihsanullah has returned to competitive cricket in the ongoing Champions Cup T20 tournament in Rawalpindi after being sidelined since late 2022 following a botched diagnosis of his injury.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had appointed an independent medical panel to oversee his rehabilitation, following prolonged issues with his treatment and recovery.
Ihsanullah emerged as a bright prospect during the 2022 Pakistan Super League to be fast-tracked into Pakistan’s white-ball squads for T20 and ODI matches.
However, his progress was halted by an elbow injury, which led to significant scrutiny of the PCB's medical management.
The independent medical panel discovered that the injury had been misdiagnosed, and appropriate treatment was not initially recommended.
Ihsanullah had also not adhered to his rehab properly.
This mismanagement eventually prompted the resignation of the PCB’s head of medical panel, Dr Sohail Saleem.
During his treatment, Ihsanullah even underwent an elbow surgery but he was later sent to England to see a specialist by the independent medical panel who ruled out another surgery but recommended a new rehab programme for the player.
At one stage even the PCB officials appeared to lose patience with the young bowler for not taking his recovery seriously and then he even blamed the PCB for his prolonged forced absence from cricket.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's seasoned allrounder, Shadab Khan is also facing fitness issues while captaining a team, in the Champions Cup which forced him to miss a few games of the event and he has not even bowled frequently.