Shan Masood was taken to the hospital for scans after being hit on the head during a net session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The 33-year-old was struck on the right side of the head by Mohammed Nawaz’s shot. He lay on the bowler’s end for some time before being taken to the hospital. Nawaz, on the other side of the pitch, knelt down and looked disappointed.
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While there is no further update on Masood’s status, Pakistan’s world cup campaign might have taken a huge hit. Babar Azam and co play their opener against archrivals India on Sunday, October 23.
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If Shan Masood is ruled out of the world cup or cannot make it to the playing XI for the India game, Pakistan will have to explore options.
Masood bats at No 3. He was selected in Pakistan’s T20 World Cup after a well-established Fakhar Zaman was ruled out due to an injury he sustained during the recently concluded Asia Cup.
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Zaman, however, was included in the side after Usman Qadir’s injury.
His role has been to provide stability in the middle should Pakistan lose the key wickets of Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam early. He scored two half-centuries in the home series against England.
Shan Masood has played twelve T20Is for Pakistan, scoring 220 runs at a strike rate of 125.00.
The best option to replace Masood is Fakhar Zaman. The team had to choose between him and Haider Ali after Shan Masood cemented his place. Now, if the 33-year-old is ruled out, both of them can come in.
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Zaman at No 3 and Haider Ali at 4.
Here’s the Pakistan squad for the T20 World Cup 2022:
Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (v-c), Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah, Shan Masood, Fakhar Zaman