During an Asia Cup Super Fours match against India in September, Naseem Shah walked off the ground after bowling 9.2 overs. He did not take part in the rest of the tournament.

Subsequent scans revealed a serious injury to his shoulder, and Naseem was ruled out of the 2023 World Cup. Hassan Ali, who had not played an ODI since June 2022 and List A cricket since December 2022, replaced him in the squad.

The surgery went well. Not long afterwards, Naseem shared a video from the hospital bed on social media: “… behtar hain. Sabse darkhwaas hain ke dua mein yaad rakhiye. Sab bahaut messages kar rahe the … fans … Maine kaha ik dafa surgery ke baad main sabko message de doonga. Thank you so much. Sabse request hain ke team ko support karen … ye team aapko khushiyan degi.”

(“I am fine now. I request everyone to keep me in their prayers. I received so many messages from everyone, [especially] fans. I decided to send a message after the surgery. Thank you so much. Keep supporting the team [Pakistan], they will bring you happiness.”)

Alhamdulillah, I'm recovering well. Your prayers and well wishes have been my strength. Thank you all for your support. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/1oQUgU2KdT

— Naseem Shah (@iNaseemShah) October 4, 2023

Shaheen Shah Afridi did not bowl in Pakistan’s first warm-up match, against New Zealand at Hyderabad, and Hassan took new ball with Haris Rauf. He dismissed Devon Conway, but conceded 66 in 7.4 overs as New Zealand overhauled a target of 344 inside 44 overs.

In the second warm-up match, against Australia at the same venue, he opened bowling with Shaheen, and finished with 0-23 in six overs – a reasonable effort in a team total of 351-7.

Pakistan will miss Naseem (32 wickets at 16.96, economy 4.68) at the World Cup. They play their first match on October 6, against the Netherlands.

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