Moeen Ali, who was named Birmingham Phoenix captain last week, claimed that Naseem Shah was their first-choice pacer and was anticipated to deliver notable performances to the side.
He further revealed that the Pakistan pacer’s absence has damaged the team’s balance before reiterating that a player should be free to play cricket if there are no obligations.
For the unversed, Naseem Shah, who was signed by the Phoenix in the £125,000 category, was denied the No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
According to the details, the cricketing body decided in a bid to prevent Naseem from potential injuries and to ensure his workload management as he is Pakistan’s first-choice pacer in all three formats.
Pakistan’s upcoming busy season
Considering Pakistan’s upcoming busy season which includes World Test Championship (WTC) matches against Bangladesh, England, and West Indies while also playing an ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025, the PCB is unwilling to take any risks regarding Naseem Shah’s fitness.
For the unversed, Naseem also missed the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India due to a shoulder injury.
The right-arm pacer suffered the injury during the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023 fixture against India which resulted in him ruling out of the tournament remainder.
The incident occurred in the 46th over of India’s innings when he walked off the field favoring his bowling shoulder on the reserve day allocated for the blockbuster clash between two Asian giants.
Briefly, after Pakistan’s 228-run defeat against arch-rivals India, the PCB called up Zaman Khan and Shahnawaz Dahani as backup pacers for the rest of the tournament, as a precautionary measure to provide a cover for injured Naseem and Haris Rauf.
Later, the PCB confirmed that Naseem Shah was ruled out of the Asia Cup 2023 and Zaman was added to the Pakistan squad.