Pakistan fast bowler Shahnawaz Dahani has been ruled out of the Super Four match against India in the 2022 Asia Cup on Sunday, 4th of September.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released a statement on Saturday, regarding Shahnawaz Dahani’s unavailability for Pakistan’s next match in the Asia Cup. The right-arm pacer has been ruled out due to a suspected side strain injury he suffered while bowling against Hong Kong in the final group stage match.
As per the statement, the medical team will monitor Dahani for the next 48-72 hours and then decide whether he can continue his participation in the Asia Cup.
The injury issues keep piling on for Pakistan’s pace battery, who have already lost Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Wasim before the start of the tournament. With Dahani now out of the match against India, Pakistan could turn to Mohammad Hasnain or the veteran Hasan Ali for the crunch encounter on Sunday.
Pakistan made it to the Super Four phase of the tournament with a comprehensive win over Hong Kong on Friday. Babar Azam’s men managed to bounce back from the loss in the close match against India and beat Hong Kong by a massive 155 runs in a virtual knockout to keep themselves alive in the tournament.
In a must-win encounter, Pakistan posted a daunting target of 193 on the back of Mohammad Rizwan’s fifty and late blitz from Khushdil Shah. Hong Kong’s chase never managed to take off as spinners Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz combined to pick seven wickets and knocked them over for just 38.
Following the match against India, Pakistan will take on Afghanistan (7 September) and Sri Lanka (9 September) in their remaining Super Four encounters. The top two teams at the end of the Super Four stage will make it to the final on Sunday, 11 September.
