The name of Pakistan’s alternate vice-captain against Australia hassurfaced. Shadab Khan will not be a part of the national team in thecrucial match against the Kangaroos in Bangalore. According to mediareports, due to being a senior player, Mohammad Rizwan may take on theresponsibilities of vice-captaincy for the match against Australia.
It is clear that the Pakistan cricket team is preparing for theirimportant match against Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, whichis scheduled to take place on Friday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium inBangalore.
Pakistan is facing the challenge of winning against Australia as they arecoming off a loss against India in their last match. Winning againstAustralia is crucial to boost their tournament prospects. The national teamis also facing an extra challenge as several key players, includingAbdullah Shafique, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Zaman Khan, were dealing withviral fever. These players were particularly absent from the optionaltraining session held on Monday.
However, later, most of the players, who were initially unwell, werecleared to play after a thorough examination by Pakistan Cricket Board’s(PCB) Medical Officer Dr. Saleem. Fakhar Zaman, who was initially ruled outdue to a knee injury from the collision with Australia, may continue withPakistan’s initial squad along with Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq. AghaSalman is still under assessment for fever and his availability remainsuncertain.
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After losing to India, Pakistan is contemplating making changes to theirunderperforming squad. The performance of Shadab Khan hasn’t been up to themark, and Pakistan may consider bringing in Asif Ali in his place.Pakistan’s expected playing XI may include Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq,Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz,Asif Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, and Shaheen Afridi.