An untimely knee injury has seen left-hander Fakhar Zaman getting ruled out of Pakistan’s squad for the T20 World Cup announced on September 15, with the selectors roping in Shan Masood for the marquee tournament in Australia.
Masood is yet to feature in a T20I for Pakistan, but has earned his selection on the back of strong performances in domestic T20s. A like-for-like replacement for Fakhar, he amassed 438 runs at an average of 39.83 and strike-rate of 138.15 for Multan Sultans in PSL 2022. He then top-scored for Derbyshire in this year’s T20 Blast with 547 runs from 14 matches, averaging 45.58 with a strike-rate of 139.89.
Considered a Test specialist for long, Masood has molded himself into a top-order aggressor in T20 cricket and is in ripe shape with his game to make the cut for the World Cup. His gain has been Fakhar’s loss, although the injured left-hander is still part of the plans as he finds himself in reserves for the competition.
Pakistan have also kept Mohammad Haris and Shahnawaz Dahani in their reserve options for the tournament in October-November. Dahani was edged out from the main touring contingent for the trip Down Under by Mohammad Hasnain.
Pakistan would’ve been extremely pleased to name Shaheen Afridi in their squad for the T20 World Cup after the injured speedster missed the ODI series in the Netherlands and the Asia Cup T20I in the UAE that followed. Afridi remains in rehab from a knee injury which he picked up in July during the Test series against Sri Lanka.
But the latest update on his rehabilitation progress is very positive, with the Pakistan Cricket Board stating that the left-arm quick is making “excellent progress” in London under the supervision of a knee specialist.
Pertinent to his rehab, PCB also brushed aside an allegation made by former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi that Shaheen is on his own in the UK during this rehab process. The board didn’t directly address Afridi, but made a point to clarify that Shaheen is being provided all the support he requires to regain full fitness before Pakistan take the field in Australia.
“It goes without saying that PCB has always been and will continue to be responsible for arranging medical care and rehabilitation of all its players requiring medical attention,”
a PCB media release stated.
The board has also taken precautions with regards to Shaheen’s comeback by not naming him in the 18-member squad selected for the home T20Is against England. The same treatment has been accorded to Fakhar.
“Fakhar Zaman has also been rested from the England T20Is so that he can recover from the knee injury he sustained when he landed awkwardly while fielding in the final [of the Asia Cup],”
chief selector Muhammad Wasim said, besides providing an update on Shaheen, who is expected to join the squad from October 15 directly in Brisbane.
Despite losing the final, Pakistan have made no wholesale changes to their squad from the Asia Cup 2022 in UAE for the T20 World Cup. Wristspinner Usman Qadir has kept his spot after playing only one game during the competition, while Mohammad Wasim Jr has returned after an injury absence.
For the England series, Pakistan have handed maiden call-ups to allrounder Aamer Jamal and legspinner Abrar Ahmed, apart from Masood, after their impressive performances in the National T20 Cup.
Pakistan will also play a T20I tri-series in New Zealand, also featuring Bangladesh, after the home T20Is versus England. The 2009 champions kick-off their campaign with a Super 12 clash against arch-rivals India on October 23. Their group also includes matches against Afghanistan, South Africa and two qualifiers.
