Colombo September 12 2023 : Pakistan have moved quickly to bring in cover for Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, with fellow pacers Shahnawaz Dahani and Zaman Khan added to their Asia Cup squad.
Naseem and Rauf picked up niggles during Pakistan’s 228-run loss to India on Monday and are no certainty to recover in time for the side’s final match of the Super Four stage against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
While team management are hopeful that both Naseem and Rauf will be fit in time for that clash, they will take no risk with the star duo with the start of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup just weeks away.
“This is only a precautionary measure keeping in mind the fitness and well-being of the players ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup next month and the two will continue to remain under the observation of the team’s medical panel,” the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement.
“The team management will only request replacement from the ACC technical committee if Haris or Naseem are ruled out for the next seven days.”
The magnitude of Pakistan’s loss to India saw Babar Azam’s side slip to third place on the current Super Four table, meaning a win is likely to be required in that match against Sri Lanka to book a place in this year’s final.
Dahani has played two ODIs for his country and a total of 11 T20I contests, while 22-year-old Zamar has featured just six times for Pakistan in the shortest format of the game and never seen any action in an international ODI.
