After Pakistan was ousted from the 2023 Asia Cup, captain Babar Azam's words added to the problems of the Men in Green heading into the 2023 ODI World Cup. Currently, two premier Pakistan pacers - Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah - are nursing injuries and their absence from the 'knockout' game against Sri Lanka was one of the reasons behind the Men in Green's ouster from the continental competition.
Talking about Rauf, the right-arm fiery pacer wasn't even ruled out of the Asia Cup after he picked up an injury during the game against India. On the flip side, 20-year-old Naseem flew to Dubai after picking up a right shoulder injury against India and his recovery is expected to take a longer time.
Babar was quizzed about Pakistan's alternative plans in case the two premier pacers miss significant time, especially with the ODI World Cup hovering on the horizon. The Pakistan skipper didn't reveal the exact plan but provided a clear hint that Naseem could miss starting few matches of the quadrennial competition in India.
"I'll tell you later," ESPNCricinfo quoted Babar.
"Not telling you our Plan B now. But yes, Haris Rauf is not bad. He's just got a little bit of a side strain, but he's recovering before the World Cup. Naseem Shah also... they have a couple of miss matches, I don't know (how long) the recovery (is), but in my opinion, Naseem Shah also (will be) in the World Cup later on. But let's see," he added.
Pakistan pace-bowling troika of Shaheen Afridi-Haris-Naseem has played a pivotal role in elevating the national team to the No.1 spot in the ICC ODI rankings. Not having the services of even one of the pacers can adversely impact Pakistan's performance as bowling remains their biggest strength.
In his young career thus far, Naseem has become a revelation in the Pakistan side for all formats. In ODIs, the right-arm pacer has played 14 matches and bagged 32 wickets with the help of two five-wicket hauls. His ability to swing the new ball with pace makes him unplayable at certain points.
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