Monitoring Desk
KARACHI: The selection committee under the current head coach-cum-chief selector Misbahul Haq has stopped young fast-bowler Naseem Shah from participating in the Under19 (U19) World Cup. The pacer will not take part in the second round of the U19 training camp.
U19 players Wasim Khan and Sheraz Khan are among the likely contenders to replace Shah in the squad. Representatives in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have confirmed that the young pacer would not be reporting for the camp. Shah has been instructed to continue training at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for the upcoming series against Bangladesh.
U19 head coach Ijaz Ahmed was in favour of playing Shah in the U19 World Cup. He had insisted that the young pacer would be brought on during the knockout stages of the tournament which would not put too much pressure on the young speedster. The selection committee believes that the tournament could put an extra workload on Shah which could result in fitness issues.
Playing him before the series against Bangladesh has been deemed as a risky venture.
The young pacer played an integral role in Pakistan’s Test victory against Sri Lanka at the National Stadium in Karachi by taking five wickets. The U19 World Cup is scheduled to be played from January 17 to February 9 in South Africa.
