Things are not getting better for the Pakistan Cricket Team as its star pacer Naseem Shah could miss next month’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India because of his shoulder injury.
Watch ARY News live on live.arynews.tv
Naseem Shah sustained a right shoulder injury during the Asia Cup 2023 Super Four stage fixture against arch-rivals India. He was ruled out of the tournament and was replaced by Zaman Khan.
Naseem Shah underwent scans, and the primary results were worse than expected. The fast bowler could get sidelined from the game.
Reports suggest that Pakistan is mulling over inclusion of Zaman Khan, Muhammad Hasnain or Hasan Ali in the World Cup squad but a final decision may emerge after Naseem Shah goes through another checkup.
Naseem Shah was initially a Test bowler but impressed the selectors with his performances in the limited-overs formats. It led to a significant increase in his workload.
View this post on Instagram
But the right-arm pacer has a history of recovering from injuries. Naseem Shah got ruled out for 14 months due to a back injury he sustained a year into his international debut.
He returned to the scene but sustained a shoulder injury on his County Championship debut with Gloucestershire after six months.
Related – Pakistan’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 squad might see surprise inclusions: sources
It is pertinent to mention that Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf make up one of the most potent pace attacks.
Asia Cup 2023 proved to be a disappointing affair for several reasons. Babar Azam’s captaincy and inconsistent performances by the players came under severe criticism from pundits and fans.
Moreover, the Pakistan camp got hit by injuries. Haris Rauf missed the tournament due to a side strain, and Salman Ali Agha suffered a blow to the face in the India fixture.
Imam-ul-Haq was sidelined from the virtual semi-final against Sri Lanka because of a back spasm, and Saud Shakeel also missed the game due to a fever.
