(Cricket News) Pakistan’s skipper, Babar Azam, has raised concerns about the potential recovery of fast bowler Naseem Shah in time for their initial matches in the upcoming World Cup in India. On the other hand, their star pacer, Haris Rauf, is showing promising signs of recovery from a side strain and is expected to be fit for their opening match against the Netherlands in Hyderabad on October 6. Both players had suffered niggling injuries during Pakistan’s Super Four clash against India in the Asia Cup, which led to their absence when Pakistan was eliminated from the tournament following a loss to Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Regarding Naseem Shah’s situation, the Pakistan Cricket Board has yet to release an official timeline for his rehabilitation process following a right shoulder injury. Babar Azam expressed uncertainty about Naseem’s readiness for the tournament’s start.

While Babar did not divulge their backup plans, he did provide some updates: “I’ll tell you later… Not revealing our Plan B now. But, yes, Haris Rauf is progressing well. He has a slight side strain, but he’s recovering before the World Cup. Naseem Shah also… they have a few issues; I don’t know how long the recovery will take, but in my opinion, Naseem Shah will also join the World Cup later on. But let’s see.”

Naseem Shah, a 20-year-old bowler who has a history of injuries, previously faced a back problem at the age of 17, which sidelined him for 14 months. Following his comeback, he suffered a shoulder injury during his debut appearance in the County Championship with Gloucestershire, keeping him out of action for another month.

Although initially known as a red-ball specialist, he has become a crucial bowler for Pakistan in all formats of the game. In ODIs, he has established himself as Pakistan’s leading bowler, claiming 32 wickets in just 14 matches at an average of under 17.

Teams have until September 28 to submit their squads to the ICC for the six-week tournament, and they can only make changes to their 15-player squads after that date with permission from the event organizers. Pakistan does not have any official 50-over matches scheduled before the World Cup, but they have two warm-up games against New Zealand on September 29 and Australia on October 3, although these games do not hold official ODI status.

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