Imad Wasim. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
The much-anticipated game of the T20 World Cup 2024 will see India (IND) and Pakistan (PAK) clash against each other on June 9 at the Nassau County Stadium in New York. Ahead of the game Pakistan seem to have dealt a major blow as their spinning all-rounder, Imad Wasim, is all set to be ruled out of the tournament. Pakistan are in dire need of a win after succumbing to United States of America (USA) in their first game.
Notably, Imad was drafted into the World Cup squad after he decided to come out of the international retirement. But the spinner could not play the first game due to side strain. According to a report by BBN Sports, he is likely to miss the whole of the tournament with respect to his injury. However, the management will be relying on painkillers and injections to keep him up and going against the arch-rivals on Sunday.
The potential setback could be an irreplaceable one as the 35-year-old carries huge experience of having played in the Caribbean owing to stints during the Caribbean Premier League. His unavailability for the rest of the tournament is 80 per cent certain. Replacing him will be, Mehran Mumtaz, who is currently at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore clearing the fitness tests.
Pakistan are grappling with team combinations
Apart from Imad Wasim’s conundrum, Pakistan have drowned themselves in another selection dilemma. Their new opening pair of Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan does not seem to click at the top order.
Pakistan Captain Babar Azam is batting on number three and will like to continue to do so. To add to their woes, their preferred big hitter, Azam Khan is drawing a lot of flak for his subpar performance and poor form.