ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Pakistan's Injury Woes Deepen As Naseem Shah Likely To Miss Entire Tournament

Pakistan cricket team's injury woes is likely to take a new turn as Naseem Shah is expected to miss the entire edition of the upcoming 50-over World Cup in India. The right-arm speedster underwent some scans recently and the shoulder injury may reportedly keep him out of action for the entire year.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly seeking a 2nd opinion; however, the youngster could be in for a long lay-off. Naseem could miss the Test series in Australia later this year and the upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2024.

The 20-year-old walked off the field during the 46th over of the innings during the reserve day of the Super 4 clash against India in Colombo and missed the next game against Sri Lanka.

Naseem Shah's ever-increasing workloads:

Naseem, who made his debut aged 16 in November 2016, suffered a back injury a year after his first international appearance that kept him out of all cricket for 14 months. A shoulder injury sidelined him for a month only six weeks after returning for a county cricket stint. While he was only a red-ball bowler that time, Naseem has now become Pakistan's first-choice player across formats.

Since playing his first ODI in August 2022, Naseem has taken 32 scalps in 14 matches at 16.96 apiece. However, it's worth noting that only 8 fast bowlers have bowled more deliveries in international cricket than Naseem's whopping tally of 2246 deliveries since July 2022.

It emerged on Friday that he was included in the SA20 auction list, yet another tournament he is likely to miss.