Pakistan have suffered another injury setback ahead of the Asia Cup 2022, with fast-bowler Mohammad Wasim Jr ruled out of the competition with a side strain. Hasan Ali, who was the most notable absentee in the initial 15-man squad, has been called up as Wasim’s replacement.
The right-arm quick had complained of back pain during the team’s training at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Thursday and was subsequently taken for scans. He has now been released from the squad and will be out of action for at least three weeks.
Hasan was dropped from the ODI squad for the Netherlands tour earlier this month as well as the Asia Cup, owing to his poor returns over the last year or so.
He bagged two wickets at 76.5 and an economy of 6.56 in the three ODIs he has played this year thus far. He returned 0/30 from three overs in the lone T20I played against Australia in April, averaged 40.55 and had an economy rate of 10.84 across the nine games he played in the Pakistan Super League 2022.
Wasim is the second injury setback for Pakistan ahead of the Asia Cup, after Shaheen Afridi, too, has been ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury he had picked up during the first of two Tests against Sri Lanka in Galle last month. Mohammad Hasnain has been called up as his replacement.
All-rounder Shadab Khan acknowledged that Shaheen and Wasim would be missed but emphasised playing as a team and backing themselves ahead of the competition.
“They are terrific players. But the beauty of cricket is that it is a team game, not an individual game. What has happened is history now. We would like to perform the same way as we did.
Definitely, we have a good team but it is not a champion team. We don’t worry about the result, we focus on the game,”
he said in a press conference on August 26.
Pakistan will face India in their first match of the Asia Cup 2022 in Dubai on Sunday, August 28.
