T20 World Cup: Injured Sohaib Maqsood ruled out of Pakistani squad

LAHORE: Pakistani cricketer Sohaib Maqsood has been ruled out of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in the UAE and Oman from October 17 after he suffered back injury.

A medical panel of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) comprising Chief Medical Officer Dr Najeeb and Physiotherapist Cliffe Deacon has suggested Sohaib Maqsood to take rest after his medical checkup, according to a statement.

The name of a substitute player in his place in the national squad for the mega event will be announced soon.

Sohaib Maqsood's prospects of retaining his place in the T20 World Cup squad had suffered a jolt after the middle-order batsman suffered back injury during the National T20 Cup. He had not participated in Southern Punjab’s match against Central Punjab on Thursday due to the pain.

A day earlier, Sohaib Maqsood was brought to a hospital for an MRI scan as he was finding it difficult to walk.

Shoaib Malik’s name is being discussed as a substitute player.

Currently, the cricketers selected for the ICC event are present in the special bio-secure bubble set up at a local hotel in Lahore, where they underwent COVID-19 testing.

The PCB said that all the players have tested negative and will join the training session from Sunday.

The cricketers will attend net sessions at the National High Performance Centre and play a scenario match at the Gaddafi Stadium on October 14. The national squad will depart for Dubai via a chartered plane on October 15.