Pakistan star pacer Naseem Shah undergoes ‘successful’ shoulder surgery

LAHORE: Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah underwent a successful surgery to treat his shoulder injury, which had already excluded him from participating in the ICC World Cup 2023, scheduled to begin in India. Moghees Sheikh, his manager, shared the update about Shah taking to X, formerly Twitter, mentioning that the fast bowler is in high spirits after the minor shoulder procedure. “Please remember him in your prayers. He will be in action soon inshallah,” he added in his post. Following the surgery, the young pacer was advised to rest and undergo rehabilitation for a period of four to six weeks before making his return to the bowling crease.

In the wake of his injury, Shah is, unfortunately, likely to remain out of action for at least three to four months. In the 46th over during Pakistan’s second game against India at the Asia Cup 2023 last month, the pacer walked off the field on the reserve day organised for that game. Soon after, the PCB issued a press release stating that the right-armer has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament. Shah suffered an injury to a muscle just below his bowling shoulder and is not a recurrence of any previous shoulder injuries. Pacer Hasan Ali, last played an ODI match for Pakistan in 2022 against West Indies in Multan, replaced Shah is Pakistan’s World Cup squad.

The ICC World Cup 2023 will take place in India with 10 teams fighting for the elusive title across 10 venues from October 5 to November 19, with the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hosting the tournament opener and the final. The Cricket World Cup will be played in the round-robin format with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches. The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, which will be held in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.

Pakistan squad for ICC World Cup 2023

Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, M Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha.

Travelling reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan.