ICC World Cup 2023: Naseem Shah Doubtful For Start Of World Cup As Babar Azam Delivers Worrying Update

Things are just falling apart for Pakistan at the moment. In the last two weeks, the Babar Azam-led side has gone from being a contender for the Asia Cup to being knocked out of the competition and facing a big injury crisis ahead of the World Cup.

Pakistan were knocked out of the continental championship on Thursday after suffering a defeat in the thrilling Super 4 game against Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. It was a do-or-die match for both the teams and in the end, Sri Lanka managed to cross the finishing line on the very last ball of the match and booked a place in the final.

Pakistan’s miseries have been compounded by a number of injury setbacks. Both of their star fast bowlers Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf missed the clash against Sri Lanka after suffering injuries while bowling against India earlier this week. Agha Salman was also not available for the clash after copping a painful blow on his face while batting against India.

Babar Azam delivers a worrying update:

Haris Rauf complained of a side strain after bowling five overs on Sunday (September 12). On the other hand, Naseem Shah experienced pain in his bowling shoulder while bowling his final over on the reserve day (September 13). He straightaway walked off the field after experiencing the pain and was later ruled out of the Asia Cup.

And Babar Azam has hinted that Naseem Shah might not recover in time to take part in Pakistan’s opening games at the World Cup in India. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is yet to make an announcement on the extent of the injury but Babar Azam has made it clear that the pacer could be sidelined for a few weeks. The Pakistan captain, however, is confident that Haris Rauf will recover in time for 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 [is], but in my opinion, Naseem Shah also [will be] in the World Cup later on. But let’s see,” said Babar Azam when asked about the team’s plans in the absence of the pacers.

Naseem Shah is presently in Dubai, undergoing scans on his injured shoulder. The 20-year-old has already suffered a number of notable injuries in his career. He was sidelined for 14 months due to a back injury he sustained within a year of making his debut in international cricket at the age of 17.

Less than two months after his return, he was sidelined for a month with a shoulder injury he suffered on his debut in the County Championship with Gloucestershire. Pakistan will be hoping that the injury is not serious and the bowler recovers as quickly as possible for the World Cup.