Morne Morkel: “Naseem is a big loss”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan bowling coach Morne Morkel said not having the services of pace bowler Naseem Shah is a “big loss” for the men in green.
Naseem was in sensational form over the past few months and was set to be a key performer for Pakistan in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, but he didn’t end up playing in the tournament as he suffered a shoulder injury during the Asia Cup.
The 20-year-old also hasn’t been selected for the upcoming tour of Australia and could miss the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) as well.
Morkel admitted that Naseem’s absence will hurt Pakistan as he is one of their main bowlers.
“Naseem is a big loss,” he was quoted as saying by NDTV.
Pakistan won their first two World Cup matches against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before faltering against India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Even though they fought back to defeat Bangladesh and New Zealand, they failed to advance to the semi-finals.
To add insult to injury, the men in green lost their last group stage game against England by 93 runs.
Pakistan’s tour of Australia will consist of three Test matches and begin on December 14 in Perth.
Pakistan Squad for Australia Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi