Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has given a massive update on Pakistan's star batter Shan Masood, who suffered a gruesome injury on head during a practice session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground ahead of the T20 World Cup clash against India on October 23.
The top-order is ‘normal’ and his CT scan revealed superficial bruising. The latest update from the PCB team in Australia is that Masood's neurological observations are normal.
"The CT scan revealed a superficial bruising in the area where he was struck, but he is currently asymptomatic. The batter will undergo a concussion re-test on Saturday," the PCB said in a statement on Friday.
In a freak incident, the left-hander suffered the blow on the right side of his head from a stray shot off the bat of Mohammad Nawaz while playing against a spinner.
The 33-year-old was wearing pads but not the helmet as he was waiting for his turn to bat. Masood fell on the ground and looked in pain. He was soon attended by the team doctor and then rushed to the hospital.
It remains to be seen whether Masood will be fit for Pakistan's T20 World Cup opener. They have another left-handed batter Fakhar Zaman in the squad to replace him.
Masood, who made his T20I debut in their home series against England in September this year, has played all seven T20Is and slammed two half-centuries. But he struggled in the recent tri-series against New Zealand and Bangladesh.
Masood was out of the national team for over a year before his performances in England's T20 Blast helped him work his way back into the national team.
He made his return for Pakistan's home series against England, and then the Tri-series involving New Zealand and Bangladesh, before participating in the first warm-up match against England as well.
Who can replace him?
The ICC allowed teams to make changes to their squads till October 15, after which any changes needed prior approval of the apex world cricketing body. If the injury concern is not very serious, then Shan might still be involved in the tournament although concussion rules might keep him out of the mega clash against India.
In his absence, Fakhar Zaman might be included in the playing XI. Zaman was included in the 15-member squad in place of Usman Qadir, but the fight for Masood's place might go to Asif Ali and Iftikhar Ahmed in the XI. But the duo have not been at their best in the middle order.
Haider Ali is another prospect who played a crucial role in the final of the tri-series against New Zealand earlier this month. He is already a regular in playing the XI but it remains to be seen if he gets to bat at number three.
India's squad for T20 World Cup 2022: Rohit Sharma (captain), Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Deepak Hooda, Mohammed Shami.
Pakistan's squad for T20 World Cup 2022: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood.
