In the net session on Thursday at the ICC Academy in Dubai, Naseem Shah, a pace bowler for Pakistan who shook up India in the first game before suffering from cramps in his left leg, was spotted with his leg taped up.
After quick bowling practice at the nets, his left leg was taped up and he cautiously went about.
Pakistan lost by five wickets to India in their first game of the Asia Cup 2022 and will face Hong Kong in a theoretical knockout match on Friday night. The team was bowled out for 147 against Rohit Sharma’s men, and the target was relinquished with two balls remaining.
Pakistan bowler Naseem Shah and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan both suffered cramps while bowling, with the former failing to make an impact in the last overs due to cramping.
How To Watch
Match: Pakistan vs Hong Kong
Date & Time: September 2nd @ 7:30 PM (IST)
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
TV Channel: Star Sports Network
Online Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar (Try for free)
Watch in Australia, Canada & USA: YuppTV
Team News
Pakistan: Babar Azam would be upset with the loss against arch-rivals India. In a close game, the side went down by 5 wickets. It was their batting that let the side down in the last game. The top order failed to build partnerships and the side finished 20 runs short of what would have been a good score. This is a must-win game for the team and Azam would want his players to be clinical.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan shall have to set up a strong opening wicket stand in this game. Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Khushdil Shah failed to convert their starts against India and the team would need a better performance from them. The side has depth down the order and the likes of Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, and Haris Rauf shall need to add runs.
They have a strong bowling attack, and the side would like to get early wickets from Naseem Shah and Shahnawaz Dahani in this game. Shadab is an experienced bowler, and he will have to do well in the middle overs with Haris Rauf. Mohammad Nawaz went for runs in the last game and he will look to come up with a better show.
Hong Kong: Nizakat Khan’s suffered a 40-run loss against India in the last game. They allowed the Indians to put up a big total and lost their chances from there on. The side would have realized this is a different ball game from what they had experienced in the Qualifiers. Khan would want his players to stick to their basics and not be overwhelmed by the challenge.
Nizakat Khan and Yasim Murtaza went out cheaply in the last game and they have to set up a big opening wicket stand in this game. Babar Hayat is one of the most experienced players on the side and he would look to build partnerships with Kinchit Shah and Aizaz Khan in the middle order. Hong Kong would also expect to see a good show from the likes of Scott McKechnie and Zeeshan Ali down the order.
Their bowlers would face a tough challenge after the poor show in the last game. The side would need early wickets from Ayush Shukla and Haroon Arshad. Aizaz Khan has done well in recent games, and he would need to stop the flow of runs in the middle overs with Mohammad Ghazanfar. Ehsan Khan and Murtaza must do well in the supporting role.
Pakistan vs Hong Kong Probable Playing XIs
Pakistan Team: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani
Hong Kong Team: Nizakat Khan (c), Yasim Murtaza, Babar Hayat, Kinchit Shah, Aizaz Khan, Scott McKechnie (wk), Zeeshan Ali, Haroon Arshad, Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Ayush Shukla