The 19-year old right-arm fast bowler was hospitalized with pneumonia on the night of 27th October 2022.
PCB will look into Naseem Shah’s medical reports before taking a decision on his participation in the remainder of England series.
Naseem Shah was part of the playing XI for Pakistan in the 1st T20I. He returned figures of none for 41 in 4 overs as England beat the hosts by 6 wickets.
He did not make it to the playing XI since then. Pakistan relied on Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, and Shahnawaz Dahani in the pace attack. However, none of these bowlers delivered what Babar would have expected of them.
In such a scenario, with no pacer being reliable, can Naseem Shah’s exclusion affect Pakistan’s chances of winning the series?
Pakistan hope for a comeback from their fast bowling unit
After the 1st T20I, Mohammad Hasnain replaced Naseem Shah in the playing XI for Pakistan. Hasnain finished wicketless for 51 runs becoming the most expensive bowler for Pakistan in the match.
While he picked wickets in the next two games, he had an economy of 9.00 and 10.00. Shanawaz Dahani, who is apparently a favorite of the legendary bowler, Wasim Akram, recorded the worst economy for Pakistan in the 4th T20I with figures of none for 62 in 4 overs.
On the other hand, Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Shadab Khan have been a lot better. These three bowlers will be crucial on a low scoring venue in Lahore.
Naseem Shah has shown great promise, needs support
Looking at how the rest of the fast bowlers delivered in the T20I series so far, it only seems unfair to leave Naseem Shah out.
Though he was hospitalized before the start of 5th T20I against England, he definitely deserved a consideration for the previous games.
In his 6 T20Is so far, Naseem Shah has picked 7 wickets at an average of 25.57 and an economy of 8.14. That’s a good start for a 19-year old on the international stage.
Not to forget his spell against India in the Asia Cup where he bowled in spite of cramps. The 1st T20I of England series was the first time ever Naseem Shah was wicketless in his outing.
The management should back him on the NZ tour where Pakistan will play a tri series that features Bangladesh.
Pakistan’s middle-order woes – worrying signs ahead of T20 World Cup
This has been an issue since quite some time now. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam have carried the Pakistan team on their shoulders far too often.
Consider Pakistan’s wins in this T20I series against England –
2nd T20I – Pakistan beat England by 10 wickets
Babar Azam scored 110 off 56 while Rizwan finished unbeaten with 88 off 51 balls as Pakistan chased down a 200-runs target.
4th T20I – Pakistan won by 3 runs
The bowlers helped Pakistan defend a par total of 166 runs. However, the biggest contributions to the total came from Rizwan (88) and Babar (36).
5th T20I – Pakistan won by 6 runs
Once again, the bowlers saved the day for Pakistan as they successfully defended 145 runs against a mighty England team.
While Mohammad Rizwan was the top scorer for Pakistan with 63 off 46, Iftikhar Ahmed was the second highest scorer with 15 off 14 balls at number 5.
Who is the favorite to win the next T20I?
Pakistan seem to be walking on a thin line here. Their pacers have failed and so has their middle order. Shan Masood, who was brought into the T20I setup on the back of his success in PSL has been disappointing too.
England, on the other hand, must be low on confidence after failing to chase targets of 146 and 167 in their last two outings.
A team that features Phil Salt, Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Duckett, and Moeen Ali should have easily chased that down.
Looking at the current form of both teams, it is unlikely that a clear favorie can emerge at the moment.
Betting Tips for PAK vs ENG, 6th T20I
- Date: 30th September
- Time: 8:00 PM IST
- Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
The betting sites have priced both teams at same odds implying no clear favorite between the two.
Here are some of our top betting tips for the 6th T20I –
- Bet on Mohammad Rizwan to be the top team batsman at 2.85 odds with 22Bet.
- The first dismissal of the match is likely to be out caught.
- Bet on the first dismissal will be through a catch selection in the special bets market on 22Bet at 1.33 odds.
- Pakistan’s opening duo is all they’ve got when it comes to putting runs on the board.
- The betting site offers 1.61 odds for Pakistan to have the highest opening partnership.
- Indian Rupee as a currency
- Very Competitive odds
- Website available in Hindi
- Indian Rupee as a currency
- Very Competitive odds
- Website available in Hindi