Ravi Shastri: “With Naseem Shah not there, the strength of Pakistan just diminishes a bit”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri said Pakistan’s overall strength has been diminished with the absence of fast bowler Naseem Shah.
Naseem was supposed to be playing in the ongoing 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, but was ruled out of the tournament after suffering a shoulder injury during the Asia Cup.
As a result of this, the men in green have had to rely on Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf a lot more, along with other seamers such as Hasan Ali and Mohammad Wasim Jnr.
While all four of them have stepped up and provided wickets, Shastri feels Pakistan would have been more dangerous had Naseem been playing.
“With Naseem Shah not there, the strength of Pakistan just diminishes a bit,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan won their first two World Cup games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before losing four in a row to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
The men in green subsequently bounced back with victories over Bangladesh and New Zealand, which kept them in the hunt for a spot in the World Cup semi-finals.
Pakistan will now look to maintain their momentum when they take on England on November 11 in Kolkata.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali