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Huge Blow for Pakistan! Pace Bowling Duo Doubtful for Rest of Asia Cup

image-lmfpq1jrHaris Rauf (Source: X/PCB)

The problems seem to rise for Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023, as after the gigantic loss against India by a margin of 228 runs in the Super 4 match, their premier pacers who couldn't bowl their full quota of overs are likely to miss the remainder of the tournament. The two pacers in contention are Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, who got injured during the India clash.

This comes after both the batters didn't come out to bat during the chase when eight wickets were down for 128, and as a result, the Pakistan innings had to end prematurely at that stage.

While Rauf pulled up his oblique muscle after bowling five overs, Naseem felt discomfort in his right shoulder in his last over after bowling two deliveries. All this happened on the reserve day of the game that was brought into play after rain played the spoilsport on the first day.

Rauf's withdrawal from the match was purely a precautionary measure, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) insists, as said by their bowling coach Morne Morkel before the start of play on second day. 

"This is only a precautionary measure keeping in mind the fitness and well-being of the players ahead of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup next month. Haris and Naseem will continue to remain under the observation of the team's medical panel. The team management will only request replacement from the ACC technical committee if Naseem or Haris are ruled out for the next seven days."

To keep themselves better equipped for the problems ahead, PCB has called in pacers Shahnawaz Dahani and Zaman Khan as cover for the injured stars. However, the board made it very clear that both of them still haven't been ruled out as they remain under observation of PCB's medical team.

Adding to this, it seems quite difficult for both of them to be fit for the clash against Sri Lanka on 14th September, which means for the final, if they qualify remains a 50-50 chance. Moreover, their other bowler, Shaheen Afridi too, was struggling with the Colombo humidity but somehow managed to complete his quota of overs.