Naseem Shah will travel to New Zealand with Pakistan Cricket Team after undergoing a period of self-isolation at home, the Pakistan Cricket Board has announced.
There were doubts about the 19-year-old’s availability for the tri-series in New Zealand after he contracted pneumoniua and tested positive for Covid-19 in a span of few days.
He will, however, miss the remaining T20 games against England during their ongoing series against Pakistan which the home side leads 3-2.
Naseem sent Pakistani fans into worry after being rushed to a hospital in Lahore with a chest infection, spending the next two nights in the hospital before being discharged on Thursday. He assured everyone of his recovery in a tweet saying he was “feeling better and recovering well.”
The PCB announced that the teenager will have to follow all the COVID-19 protocols during his isolation at home and will be under constant observation by the cricket board’s medical panel.
Pakistan is due to leave for New Zealand early Monday to participate in a triangular Twenty20 series which features Bangladesh as well before the squad flies to Australia for the T20 World Cup.
It is unlikely that Naseem Shah will feature in any of the matches in New Zealand with the practice games before the tournament begins his likeliest return date.
After gatecrashing his way into Pakistan’s World Cup squad, Naseem has become one of the main pillars of the Pakistani pace attack after his stellar performance at the Asia Cup. However, he appeared in only one match against England before being sidelined with the illness..
Pakistan faces England tonight at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore for the sixth match in their seven-match series.
