A couple of days after their record fourth consecutive Test defeat, Pakistan have suffered a huge blow ahead of the second Test of the series against West Indies. The centurion of the first Test, former Test captain Shan Masood has been ruled out of the second Test due to an index finger injury he sustained while batting in the first innings.
Masood is not only ruled out of the second Test against Roston Chase-led side, his participation for the three-Test series against England is doubtful too.
"Following a scan and clinical assessment, Shan is currently undergoing treatment from the Pakistan team medical panel,” PCB said in a statement.
"His availability for the first Test against England starting 19 August at Leeds will depend on his recovery and clinical progress," the board added.
However, Masood will not head back home and continue to be with the squad as Pakistan look to avoid fifth consecutive defeat in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle.
How Masood got injured?
Masood was hit on his left hand’s index finger by a short ball from Jayden Seales. He scored a century but Pakistan suffered a batting collapse, missing out the opportunity to take the lead. In the run chase, Masood did not come out to bat at no.3. Instead, he batted at no.8, joining skipper Babar Azam in the middle. But, he struggled and departed for a single-digit score. Babar eventually ran out of partners and Pakistan lost the Test by 90 runs.
After the defeat, Babar said that Masood’s injury affected their run chase as they fell well short of the 221-run target.
Who will replace Masood in the second Test?
Abdullah Fazal has already been ruled out of the series. Abdullah Shafique has been named his replacement. Saud Shakeel and uncapped Awais Zafar are other two contenders to replace an injured Masood. The second Test begins on August 2 at Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain.
Where are Pakistan in WTC standings?
Pakistan are at the bottom with four defeats from five games and over-rate penalty deductions. A win in the second Test to draw the series will help them move to the eighth position ahead of England tour.