In what came as devastating news for the Pakistan cricket team and its fans, pace spearhead Naseem Shah is likely to miss the upcoming ODI World Cup in India and the remainder of the year with a shoulder injury. According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, Naseem's shoulder injury is worse than initially anticipated and it might draw curtains to his chances of participating in the quadrennial competition.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) hasn't made an official announcement yet as they are waiting on reports from the second scan. But as things stand right now, the situation doesn't look ideal for the Men in Green.
Talking about Naseem's injury, the right-arm pacer sustained an injury to his shoulder during the Asia Cup encounter against India in which he walked off the ground in visible pain without completing the 49th over.
Earlier, Pakistan captain Babar Azam was quizzed about Pakistan's alternative plans in case his pacers miss significant time, especially with the ODI World Cup hovering on the horizon after the Men in Green's campaign in the Asia Cup came to an end. 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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