Srinagar: With the reports emerging that Pakistan premier pacer Naseem Shah is likely to miss entire Cricket World Cup 2023, fans have called on PCB to bring back Mohammad Amir.
ESPNcricinfo on Saturday reported that the Naseem Shah who suffered injury during match against India in Asia Cup 2023 may not only force him to miss the World Cup but also the upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) next year.
“Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah is likely to miss the entire World Cup after scans revealed an injury to his right shoulder that is worse than was initially suspected. The PCB is understood to be seeking a second opinion, but scans from tests in Dubai appear to show the injury could rule him out for the rest of year,” the report stated.
“Should secondary results back up the initial ones, Naseem, 20, is looking at a layoff spanning several months which means his participation in the Test series in Australia at the turn of the year is in doubt, as well as the next Pakistan Super League also in grave doubt,” it added.
The news has come as a shock for Pakistan fans considering Shah’s importance in the Pakistan team.
While some fans are questioning the way the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) managed players’ workload, others are already discussing the 20-year-old’s replacement — with one of the names being left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir.
Amir last played an ODI match for Pakistan in October 2019 against Sri Lanka in Karachi.
In the 46th over during Pakistan’s second game against India at the Asia Cup last week, Naseem walked off the field on the reserve day organised for that game. Soon after, the PCB issued a press release stating that the right-armer has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament.
Shah suffered an injury to a muscle just below his bowling shoulder and is not a recurrence of any previous shoulder injuries.
Now, Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam and the team management have a bigger task at hand as they will have to find a suitable replacement for Naseem and not only that, they will also have to find out suitable backups for the mega event.