Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah to miss third Test against England after failing to recover from a shoulder niggle

Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah has failed to recover from the shoulder niggle that kept him out of the second Test against England in Multan. As a result, he will miss the third and final Test in Karachi as well, which starts on December 17.

The 19-year-old was in visible discomfort during the opening Test in Rawalpindi, mainly while throwing the ball in the outfield. Despite that, he put up a spirited performance with the ball on a lifeless surface. He claimed five wickets in the Test, returning with figures of 24-0-140-3 in the first innings.

According to the PCB, Naseem will travel to the High Performance Center in Lahore to undergo further assessment.

.@iNaseemShah strikes! ⚡

First-over wicket for Pakistan 🙌

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The Pakistan team has not announced a replacement at this juncture. However, the youngster's injury has increased the strain on their fast-bowling options, given Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf are already out of the series. The hosts had considered a recall for Hasan Ali, but decided against it and opted to put their faith in the all-rounders.

Mohammad Ali, who made his Test debut in Rawalpindi, was the lone specialist seamer in Multan. Faheem Ashraf shared the new ball, while left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz and leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed were included in the playing eleven.

The third Test in Karachi could see Mohammad Wasim Jr. make his debut. He has only played seven first-class games, the last of which came in December of 2021.

Pakistan will aim for a consolation victory in third Test against England

Pakistan captain Babar Azam finds himself under pressure heading into the third Test after a second successive series defeat at home under his leadership. The 28-year-old lamented the side's batting failures in both innings in Multan. He said, as quoted by Cricket Pakistan:

"Yes, we were not up to the mark in the first innings. We had a couple of soft dismissals. After that, we had a fightback in the bowling, and in the second innings, we fought well, but unfortunately, we did not finish it. We have a simple plan to carry on the momentum; we had good partnerships between Imam and Saud and then Saud and Nawaz.

"The tail also fought well, but we didn't finish well. We made mistakes in the Test match; we could have won, we didn't finish well against Australia, and now again, we should have finished well."

Hard-fought Test match 🏏

Congratulations to @englandcricket on winning the series.

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Should England win in Karachi, it will be the first time any team has won three Tests on the trot in Pakistan.