Scott Styris: “The loss of Naseem Shah will be bigger than a lot of people think. Naseem Shah’s absence weakens them a lot”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris said he knows Pakistan are missing speedster Naseem Shah as he was arguably their best bowler over the past couple of months.
Naseem was supposed to represent his country in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, but became ineligible for selection after suffering a shoulder injury during the Asia Cup.
Since he isn’t playing in the World Cup, a lot more responsibility has been placed on the shoulders of fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Wasim Jnr.
“The loss of Naseem Shah will be bigger than a lot of people think. Naseem Shah’s absence weakens them a lot,” Styris told Sky Sports NZ as quoted 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.
They finally bounced back with wins over Bangladesh and New Zealand, which kept their hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive.
Next up for Pakistan will be a clash against 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