Pakistan star pacer Naseem Shah is likely to miss the ICC Men’s One-Day International World Cup 2023 scheduled to be held in India in October-November.The right shoulder injury that he suffered during the two-day marathon match against India in the Super 4 stage first ruled him out of the Asia Cup and now has made him unavailable for the World Cup. Naseem Shah might not be seen in action for a year, as per a report on the ESPNcricinfo website.
The report said Naseem went for an X-ray scan in Dubai on Thursday and the first reports suggest that the injury is worse than suspected earlier.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) might look for a replacement but as of now, he is unlikely to be part of the Pakistan team travelling to India.
The PCB is yet to officially release an update on Naseem's injury but it might come out with one as soon as a secondary report is made available.
As per initial reports, Naseem is facing a long layoff, ruling him out from the Australia tour and also from the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
After the first match between India and Pakistan got washed out due to rain, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) made a few changes and added a reserve day for the Pakistan and India match in the Super 4 stage.
Zaman Khan replaced Naseem Shah in the Playing XI for Pakistan's match against Sri Lanka in the Super 4 stage which they lost by 2 wickets in a low-scoring thriller and got knocked out of the tournament. Mohammad Hasnain, another possible replacement, is currently also injured.
Naseem's absence from the Pakistan squad will be a huge blow for the team, hampering the plans to transform Naseem from a red-ball specialist to an all-format player.
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The lethal trio of Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf is one of the most formidable bowling attacks in the format.