Hasan Ali ruled out of Pakistan's 2023 World Cup match against South Africa due to illness
Pakistan's senior pacer Hasan Ali won't feature in the team's upcoming 2023 World Cup fixture against South Africa at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday, October 27.
Ali has been ruled out of the crucial contest due to illness. The seamer is said to have developed a fever on Wednesday and is unlikely to recover ahead of Pakistan's match against South Africa.
The Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) medical team has advised the cricketer to rest to ensure that he remains available for the remaining games of the showpiece event.
Ali was added to the Men in Green's 15-member roster as a replacement for the injured Naseem Shah. He has performed decently so far in the tournament, bagging eight wickets from five matches at an economy rate of 5.82.
Mohammad Wasim Jr. is expected to replace Hasan Ali in the playing XI. The second half of the 2023 World Cup is of utmost importance for Babar Azam and Co. as they look to bounce back after three back-to-back losses.
Pakistan are placed sixth in 2023 World Cup points table
The Pakistani side's campaign was off to an impressive start as they secured a comprehensive 81-run victory against the Netherlands in their opening encounter.
The team backed it up with an important six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the subsequent clash. However, it has all been downhill for the Babar Azam-led side following the two victories.
Pakistan suffered a seven-wicket loss to arch-rivals India after being bundled out for just 191 runs. Their bowling and fielding let them down in their match against Australia, as they conceded 367 runs in 50 overs and ultimately lost the game by 62 runs.
To make matters worse, Pakistan were trumped by Afghanistan by eight wickets, failing to defend a 283-run target. They need to stage a miraculous turnaround in their remaining games.
With two wins from five games and a net run rate of -0.400, Pakistan are currently placed fifth in the 2023 World Cup points table.