Sohaib Maqsood was on Saturday ruled out of the Pakistan squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in the UAE and Oman from October 18, due to a back injury he suffered during the National T20 Cup, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has informed.
Maqsood will now be replaced by experienced batter Shoaib Malik, the PCB announced.
As per reports, Maqsood underwent MRI scans for his lower back on Thursday after picking up the injury on October 6 during the contest against Northern Punjab.
He was later, forced to miss the game against Central Punjab on Friday (October 7).
Commenting on the development, PCB chief selector Muhammad Wasim said: “Sohaib is devastated to miss out on the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as he had worked hard for this event and was in sparkling form. We feel for him but injuries are part and parcel of the sport. I am sure after undergoing rehabilitation, he’ll fully recover to be available for future assignments.”
“In his place and following discussions with the team management, we have decided to include Shoaib Malik in the side. I am sure Shoaib’s experience will be handy for the entire squad,” he added.
Notably, Malik had led the Green Brigade in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007, where the side had suffered a defeat in the summit clash against arch-rivals India.
Malik was also a member of the Pakistan side that won the tournament in 2009.
Earlier on Friday after taking into consideration the player’s performances, form and fitness in the ongoing National T20 Cup, the PCB had made as many as three changes in the Pakistan team for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Sarfaraz Ahmed and Haider Ali replaced Azam Khan and Mohammad Hasnain respectively, while Fakhar Zaman, who was originally named as a travel reserve, replaced Khushdil Shah.
The Pakistan squad for the T20 World Cup will fly for the UAE on October 15.
The Green Brigade is scheduled to play two warm-up games against West Indies and South Africa on October 18 and 20, respectively.
The Babar Azam-led will then begin their camapign in the showpiece event by taking on the Virat Kohli-led Team India in a Group-2 fixture on October 24 in Dubai.
The side will then face New Zealand and Afghanistan on October 26 and 29 in Sharjah and Dubai respectively.
Pakistan will then take on the two qualifiers on November 2 and November 7 in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.