Shaheen was ruled out of the recent T20 Asia Cup and the T20 home series against England as the medical panel had advised the bowler four to six weeks rest due to a right knee ligament injury he suffered during the Test series in Sri Lanka in July.
The arch-rivals — Pakistan and India — will lock horns at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on October 23, a day after Australia begin their title defence against New Zealand in Sydney.
The 16-nation tournament will begin on October 16 with Sri Lanka facing Namibia in Geelong — one of seven venues as Australia hosts for the first time.
Speaking in the Dawn News show “Replay” today, Raja said Shaheen had informed the team management about significant improvement in his fitness.
“We were of the opinion that we will not take a risk until Shaheen is 110 per cent fit,” he said, adding knee injuries were quite “technical and sensitive”.
However, the PCB chairman quoted Shaheen as saying that he would undergo training sessions before joining the side in the important game.—Agencies
