‘I thought my cricket career was over’ due to knee injury: Tanvir

LAHORE - Pakistan fast bowler Sohail Tanvir, who has been included in the Test and Twenty20 squads for the upcoming tour of New Zealand, has said during the phase in which he was recuperating from a knee injury he consistently feared that his international career was over.

The injury had forced Tanvir to face a long and at times lonely road to recovery, during which he missed the November 2009 tour of New Zealand, the tour of Australia, the 2010 Twenty20 World Cup, the Asia Cup, the tour of England, and the series against South Africa.

“It’s been a very tough journey and I’ve had to put in a tremendous amount of hard work to recover from the knee injury,” PakPassion.net quoted Tanvir, as saying.

“It’s been nearly eight months of pain, recovery, rehabilitation, setbacks and then finally the relief of receiving the go ahead to resume my career. At times it’s been a very lonely journey and difficult experience. Recovering from this serious injury has been a huge relief for me,” he added.

The 25-year-old further said that his doctors had advised him to rest after undergoing a ‘career saving surgery’ in Australia, which he insists was the most difficult phase of his life.

“I went to Australia for a career saving surgery on my left knee. However, even after the surgery and during the rehabilitation process, at one stage I thought my cricket career was over. I was on crutches for two months after the operation and I couldn’t even walk, so playing cricket was far from my mind,” Tanvir said.

“If you can’t even walk, then playing cricket is a distant thought. I really thought it was the end of the road for me as the knee was not responding to further treatment. It was a very difficult time for me, but I never gave up, I never wanted to throw in the towel and let the injury get the better of me,” he added. (ANI)