PAK vs SL: Shoulder Injury Rules Naseem Shah Out Of The Tournament, Haris Rauf Unavailable Too

Pakistan have suffered a huge injury blow ahead of their crunch Asia Cup tie against Sri Lanka. The Men in Green will be without their fast-bowler Naseem Shah for the do-or-die clash at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Thursday.

Naseem Shah has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to a shoulder injury. Pakistan will be without him for the final too if they go on to qualify for the game. The right-arm pacer injured his bowling shoulder while bowling his final over against India on Monday (September 13).

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has withdrawn Naseem Shah from the squad. He has been replaced by Zaman Khan. In a statement, the PCB stated that the bowler “continues to be monitored by the team’s medical panel that is taking all necessary precautions” keeping in mind the all-important ODI World Cup. The marquee event is scheduled to begin in less than a month’s time.

Naseem Shah is not the only injury setback for Pakistan ahead of the crucial clash against Sri Lanka. They will also miss Haris Rauf who felt discomfort in his right flank while bowling against India on Sunday (September 12). According to the PCB, the right-arm pacer “continues to recover well”.

Pakistan announce playing eleven for Sri Lanka game:

Pakistan have announced their playing eleven for the match against Sri Lanka on Thursday (September 14). Neither Naseem Shah nor Haris Rauf are in the team. Mohammad Wasim and Zaman Khan have replaced the duo in the Pakistan team.

Pakistan have made a total of 5 changes to the playing eleven that played against India and suffered a humiliating 228-run loss. Opener Fakhar Zaman has been dropped after managing just 61 runs in 3 innings so far.

He has been replaced by Mohammad Haris. Agha Salman who copped a nasty blow on his face will also miss the clash and has been replaced by Saud Shakeel. In another change, Pakistan have recalled Mohammad Nawaz in the playing eleven in place of Faheem Ashraf.

Pakistan playing XI: Mohammad Haris, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim, Zaman Khan