Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah doubtful for 2nd Test against England
Pakistan have yet another injury concern ahead of their second Test against England in Multan, with Naseem Shah doubtful for the crucial fixture. The right-arm speedster is reportedly dealing with a shoulder niggle, first spotted during the first Test at Rawalpindi.
The teenage cricketer seemed to have sustained the injury during England's first innings when he threw the ball awkwardly from the boundary. Although he continued bowling for the rest of the game, he held his shoulder occasionally. Having carried the injury to Multan, the fast bowler didn't bowl in Tuesday's training session at all.
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Naseem was Pakistan's best bowler across two innings at Rawalpindi, finishing with figures of 33.5-0-206-5. However, with the other bowlers going for plenty of runs, the 19-year-old's figures made minimal impact for the home side.
The home side are already without Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, the latter of whom broke down after sending down 13 overs in the first innings at Rawalpindi and didn't bowl in the second. The selectors considered recalling Hasan Ali as an injury replacement, but decided against it. Hence, Mohammad Wasim Jnr. could debut in Multan. They also have all-rounder Faheem Ashraf in their midst.
"My only aim is to help Pakistan win with my performance" - Babar Azam
Meanwhile, skipper Babar Azam underlined that his focus is not on what people are saying about him but on helping the side win games and play the World Test Championship (WTC) final. He said in a press conference:
"I don’t focus on what people say about me. My only aim is to help Pakistan win with my performance. I am under no pressure and always try to give my best on the field. I don’t have to prove anything regarding my credentials as a player. We want to play the final of the World Test Championship."
Pakistan captain Babar Azam's press conference at Multan Cricket Stadium.
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England have made one change for the second Test, bringing in Mark Wood for the injured Liam Livingstone.