Last Updated on 1 year by Charbel Coorey

Cricket News: Naseem Shah may miss start of World Cup | Babar Azam says Naseem Shah may miss early games of World Cup

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has hinted that pace bowler Naseem Shah may miss the early stages of the World Cup due to a shoulder injury he sustained against India. Speaking to the media following his team’s disappointing exit from the Asia Cup, Babar said Haris Rauf’s injury isn’t bad, but mentioned “later on” when speaking about Naseem.

“I’ll tell you later,” Babar said when asked about backup pace bowling options. “Not telling you our Plan B now. But yes, Haris Rauf is not bad. He’s just got a little bit of a side strain, but he’s recovering before the World Cup,” the captain said.

“Naseem Shah also… they will miss a couple of matches. I don’t know [how long] the recovery [is], but in my opinion, Naseem Shah also [will be] in the World Cup later on. But let’s see.”

Injury to Naseem Shah highlights Pakistan’s difficult finish to Asia Cup

Having entered the tournament as arguably the most settled team, Pakistan faltered away to miss the final. They fought hard to put themselves in a winning position against Sri Lanka, but fell short off the final delivery in a classic match.

Naseem Shah’s services would have been handy. He has been excellent across formats for Pakistan this year, with his accuracy a key feature of his bowling.

However, Naseem will need to be managed carefully given his injury history. He missed 14 months of action as a 17-year old due to a back injury. Six weeks following his return, he suffered a shoulder injury playing in county cricket

In ODIs in 2023, Naseem has picked up 22 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 19.6 and economy of 4.80. With question marks around Pakistan’s pace-bowling depth outside of their three main fast bowlers, the Pakistanis will be hoping the 20-year old will be fit in time for their World Cup opener against Netherlands on October 6.