Naseem Shah likely to miss India vs Pakistan match in World Cup 2023, hints Babar Azam

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In what could be a big blow for India, Naseem Shah is likely to miss the first few matches of the World Cup 2023 for Pakistan. The Men in Green are set to kick off their campaign against Netherlands on Friday, October 6 in Hyderabad before facing Sri Lanka on October 10 and India on October 14.

Babar Azam has hinted towards the development after Pakistan's exit from the Asia Cup 2023 on Thursday. In the absence of injured pacers Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, Sri Lanka managed to win a last-ball thriller against Pakistan to qualify for their 11th Asia Cup final.

While the Pakistan captain expressed confidence over Haris Rauf’s side strain problem, he expressed uncertainty over the injury of 20-year-old Naseem Shah who has been marred by injury in the past as well. The speedster, who picked seven wickets in four Asia Cup 2023 matches at an average of 20, is currently in Dubai, undergoing scans for muscle injury below his right shoulder.

"I'll tell you later," he said. "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. Naseem Shah also... they have a couple of miss 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," Babar Azam said.

Naseem Shah was earlier out of action for 14 months after sustaining a back injury when he was just one-year-old in international cricket. He was ruled out for a month again after making his comeback due to a shoulder injury on his debut in the County Championship with Gloucestershire.

Naseem Shah has fast grown into an all-format player for Pakistan and his workload has increased considerably. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is yet to give an official update on Naseem's injury.