Before starting their T20 World Cup campaign, Pakistan have suffered another injury scare as their batter, Shan Masood, was hit on the right side of his side and rushed to the hospital. Fortunately, he could walk off the ground and be taken to the hospital for further scans.
According to reports, Mohammad Nawaz struck a ball that hit Masood on the head during the team’s training session. The left-handed batter laid down for 5-7 minutes after being shot. This puts a question on his availability for the team.
He was later rushed to the nearby hospital for further treatment. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is yet to give any official update on the same.
M Nawaz can be seen extremely tensed after hitting Shan Masood in the nets today. May he be safe, we can play Fakhar Zaman if he won't be 100% instantly 🙏🏻#PakistanCricket #T20worldcup22 pic.twitter.com/xHC1QhXBwl
— Awais Ali Khan (@sardarawais) October 21, 2022
Given the strict concussion protocols by the ICC, Pakistan wouldn’t take a chance of playing him at MCG on Sunday, October 23. against arch-rivals India. Shan Masood, since his debut, has been playing at the number 3 position scoring 221 runs in the 12 games he has played, which includes two half-centuries.
Also Read: 3 Reasons Why Mohammed Shami Should Start Against Pakistan
Shan Masood’s participation in Pakistan’s opener in doubts
Pakistan have the experienced Fakhar Zaman in their squad, who was initially a travelling reserve and is back in the main 15. He will be a front-runner for Shan Masood’s position at No. 3. The inclusion of Zaman will add more experience to the Pakistani batting order, which is relatively inexperienced.
The southpaw, who has just recovered from a knee injury, had undergone a fitness test in Brisbane during an abandoned warm-up game between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
This also means that Pakistan will have to go with inconsistent performers, Asif Ali and Iftikhar Ahmed, in the middle order, which has raised several questions. Their poor outing in New Zealand raises criticism about their overreliance on Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
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