Hassan Ali was named as the replacement for Naseem Shah in the squad for the World Cup 2023 due to his injury sustained during the Asia Cup 2023.
Reason for Hassan Ali’s selection in World Cup Squad
Pakistan had recently completed its Asia Cup campaign with a defeat against Sri Lanka in Super Fours. On this occasion, PCB named its squad for the upcoming World Cup 2023, where Hasan Ali replaced Naseem Shah in the squad.
Naseem Shah sustained an injury on his right shoulder during the game against India in the Super Fours of the Asia Cup where India won with a 228-run difference. The scans revealed he was injured worse than expected and will be ruled out of the marquee tournament in India.
The Pakistan Cricket Board stated in a release on Friday, “Following thorough medical examinations and consultations with leading medical experts, Naseem has been advised to undergo surgery. He is expected to recover in three to four months.”
A review meeting was held on Thursday regarding the team’s underperformance in the Asia Cup with the likes of PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf, Captain Babar Azam, head coach Grant Bradburn, Salman Nasser, Usman Wahla, and former skipper Misbah ul Haq.
To compensate for the loss of Naseem Shah, Pakistan named Hassan Ali as a replacement in the bowling line-up. Hasan Ali has featured in 60 ODIs since his debut in 2017, dismissing 91 wickets at an average of 30.36. He made his last ODI appearance in the home series against New Zealand in January 2023 in Karachi.
In the team led by Babar Azam, allrounder Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Haris and Zaman Khan have been excluded from the squad that played in the Asia Cup. Meanwhile, Shadab Khan has been retained as Babar Azam’s deputy for the tournament.
The chief selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq revealed the reason behind Hassan’s selection after the squad announcement saying, “Naseem Shah unfortunately got injured and he’s our main bowler. Hasnain had an ankle operation. Ihsanullah had an elbow operation. We had few options left among fast bowlers due to injuries. Hassan Ali bowled well in the LPL and elsewhere recently. He is experienced and has played well for Pakistan previously in big events,” Inzamam said.
“Once Naseem Shah was ruled out, we also needed a bowler who could bowl with the new ball, and I think Hassan Ali is a great choice. He bowls well with the old ball too and is a team man as well. He brings energy into the team,” he concluded.
Pakistan will be playing its Warmup games against New Zealand on September 29 and Australia on October 3 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
