The Pakistan Cricket team's preparations for the ICC World Cup 2023 have been hit with a roadblock as the team's premier pacer Naseem Shah is likely to miss out on the entire action in the marquee tournament. Naseem has suffered an injury to his bowling shoulder during a Super Four match against India in the Asia Cup. He was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament. Naseem's scans have revealed an injury to his bowling shoulder and it is reportedly worse than what was suspected before.
As per a report by ESPNCricinfo, the 20-year-old bowler is likely to miss the entire World Cup. The report added that the Pakistan Cricket Board will be seeking a second opinion but the scans show that the pacer can be out of action for the complete 2023. He might also miss Pakistan's Test series against Australia in December, January and could also sit out of the Pakistan Super League 2024.
Earlier, Babar Azam expressed concerns over Naseem's availability at the start of the World Cup. "I'll tell you later. 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, but in my opinion, Naseem Shah also (will be) in the World Cup later on. But let's see," Babar said after the loss to Sri Lanka.
More to follow...
