Due to a soreness in his bowling shoulder, Naseem Shah won’t play in the third Test. He will now fly to Lahore for a second National High Performance Centre evaluation. The team management has not yet announced a replacement, though.
Since making his Test debut in 2019, Naseem has played in 14 matches, taking 38 wickets at an average of 36.94. He took five wickets in the Rawalpindi Test against England, which Pakistan lost by a score of 74 runs. He was not picked up for the second Test in Multan with Pakistan going for a spin-heavy side.
England currently lead the three-match series 2-0. They are at No.5 on the ICC World Test Championship Standings, with Pakistan at No.6.
The defeat by England in the second Test in Multan effectively put an end to Pakistan’s lean chances of reaching the 2023 World Test Championship final. Babar Azam’s team has now dropped the three-match Test series to 0-2 after losing the opening match in Rawalpindi by a margin of 74 runs. The third Test between the two teams will now take place in Karachi and begin on December 17, three days after the first Test between India and Bangladesh in Chattogram.
