Pakistan has taken swift action to reinforce their pace attack after Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf suffered minor injuries in the heavy defeat to India on Monday in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup.
Shahnawaz Dahani and Zaman Khan, two promising fast bowlers, have been added to the squad as backups and could feature as you watch Asia Cup 2023 in USA.
The young and talented fast bowlers have impressed in domestic cricket. Dahani has played two ODIs and 11 T20Is for Pakistan, taking 12 wickets in total.
Zaman has only played six T20Is for Pakistan, taking five wickets. However, he has yet to play an ODI for Pakistan.
If selected for the next match, it will be significant for the two young stars as they replace Naseem and Rauf. The influential pacers are doubtful for Pakistan’s last Super Four match against Sri Lanka on Thursday, which could decide their fate in the tournament.
The team management is optimistic that both pacers will recover soon, but they are not willing to risk their fitness ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup next month.
The Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement that they will not ask the ACC technical committee for any replacements unless Haris or Rauf are confirmed to be out for more than a week.
They said this was a preventive step to ensure the players’ health and readiness for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup next month. They also said that the team’s medical panel will keep monitoring the two pacers.
In a heartbreaking match for Pakistan fans watching India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 in USA, Pakistan lost to India by 228 runs, the biggest margin in their history.
They are currently third on the Super Four table and must beat Sri Lanka on Thursday to have a chance of making it to the final for another India vs Pakistan thriller.
