T20 World Cup: Fakhar Zaman ruled out of Pak vs Ind clash

MELBOURNE: In a massive blow to Pakistan, the team’s star batter Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the high-octane T20 World Cup clash against India, confirmed skipper Babar Azam Saturday.

Pakistan will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against arch-rivals India in Melbourne on Sunday.

Babar, talking to journalists at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), confirmed that Zaman would not be available for selection, while Shan Masood was fully fit and available for the game against India.

“Fakhar is not fully fit yet, he will take a few more days so he is not available tomorrow. Shan has fully recovered and fully fit and has cleared his tests,” Babar said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) revealed last month that Zaman had landed awkwardly on his right knee while fielding during the ACC T20 Asia Cup final in Dubai. He is yet to fully recover from that injury.

Pakistan are likely to persist with Masood at the one-down position after the left-hander was declared fit for the match against India.

On Friday, the PCB announced that Masood has got away with "superficial bruising" after being hit on the head during a practice session.

"All of Shan Masood's neurological observations are normal. His CT scan only shows superficial bruising where the ball struck him," the PCB said in a statement.

"He will be re-tested (Saturday)" for concussion, the PCB added.

The 33-year-old Masood is regarded as a technically sound top-order batter and has hit two half-centuries for Pakistan in 12 T20s since his debut in September.