LAHORE: Pakistan’s fast-rising leg-spinner Shadab Khan has been ruled out of next month’s series against England with a virus, leaving him in doubt for the World Cup.
The 20-year-old is a key wicket-taking option for Pakistan in the ten-team World Cup in England and Wales that starts May 30.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said the spinner will receive treatment in the UK.
“Shadab’s blood tests have revealed (a) virus and doctors have advised him a four week rest,” it said in a statement.
“Shadab is out of the five-match One-Day series against England and a Twenty20 match (also against England),” it added.
The Pakistan team will fly to England on Tuesday and play a five match One-Day series against the number one ranked home team, starting May 5.
The PCB said Shadab will meet with specialists in England to help him fully recover for the World Cup opener against the West Indies on May 31 at Trent Bridge.
Shadab has played 34 One-Day Internationals, 32 Twenty20 matches and five Test matches in a promising career that started in 2017.
“The selectors have already included Asif Ali and Mohammad Amir as additional players to the 15-player World Cup squad,” the PCB said.
Chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq described Shadab’s loss as “bad news”, adding he hopes the spinner will be ready for the tournament.
Later, PCB announced another leg-spinner Yasir Shah as a replacement for Shadab in the One-Day series.
“Yasir has been named as replacement for upcoming One-Day series and a Twenty20 international against England,” said PCB.
Yasir, 32, has taken 23 wickets in 24 One-Day Internationals. He played all five One-Dayers against Australia in United Arab Emirates last month taking just four wickets.
Meanwhile, Imad Wasim, the Pakistan all-rounder, said the expectation of him to perform several roles for the team is a matter of pride and a reflection of his ability.
Since his comeback to Pakistan’s ODI setup in November last year, Imad has grown leaps and bounds as a batsman. His bowling numbers haven’t been quite as good, but that, he believes, is because his role is that of containing batsmen rather than attacking.
He is seen as so important to Pakistan’s hopes at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, that Inzamam-ul-Haq, the chief selector, admitted the management had made an exception to include him in the 15-man squad despite him failing a fitness test.
In 11 games since making his comeback against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi, Imad has scored 281 runs from eight knocks at an average of 93.66, while striking at 116.59. He claimed just five wickets at 91.60 in those matches, but an economy rate of 4.97 suggests he’s able to apply brakes on the opposition.
Imad said his main goal is to adapt to the various requirements of the team. “My role keeps on changing with the situation of the match,” he said. “I have to get wickets when I bowl with the new ball. When I am using an older ball, I have to contain too, along with taking wickets.
“Of course, I have some personal goals. But, I put them aside for the team goals. If I am asked to bowl the last over, I have to. If I am asked to bowl with the new ball, then I have to.
“It is an honour if a team gives you these many roles. A player should have the capability to adjusting to new roles. One day I have to contain, the other I have to pick wickets. I feel lucky that I have that ability because of which I can try to fit myself in many roles.”
Imad’s all-round abilities have raised his stock, so much that he has had to downplay comparisons with accomplished Pakistani all-rounders of the past. “It depends on what my team asks of me,” he said.
“I shouldn’t be compared with Shahid (Afridi) bhai or (Abdul) Razzaq bhai. Those guys are legends, which is underscored by a mere look at their records. No guy can just come and be like them.”
Pakistan’s lead up to the World Cup hasn’t been ideal — they were swept 5-0 by Australia in UAE, a series in which the failure of their bowlers to make inroads was laid bare, with the likes of Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja plundering runs. Wasim acknowledged the team was working hard on addressing those problem areas ahead of the World Cup.
“I agree (that Pakistan are falling behind the other teams) and I personally believe in having aggression in strategy,” he said. “I want that we get wickets when we bowl and score runs when we bat. This is the centre of discussion in the ongoing camp and we will play aggressive cricket in the World Cup.”