ISLAMABAD: After a fever scare, almost all the players, apart from Muhammad Haris, were seen practicing in Bangalore ahead of the team’s World Cup match against Australia scheduled to be held on October 20.
Haris was advised to rest after contracting a fever, while other players who had fallen sick earlier were seen on the ground practicing with full force.
A day earlier, six players of the Pakistan team “missed” the optional training session at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The six players who didn’t participate in today’s training session included Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, and Salman Ali Agha, along with traveling reserves Zaman Khan and Mohammad Haris.
The Green Shirts trained for two hours from 6 pm to 8 pm (IST) after a change of plan to abstain from training on Tuesday.
Notably, Shafique has been suffering from a fever, while Shaheen and Usama Mir had also experienced fever symptoms; however, they have since recovered.
The players who displayed fever symptoms were promptly checked as per the team’s health protocol. Additionally, in line with the safety measures, all players were tested for COVID-19 and screened for symptoms related to dengue fever.
However, there is no reason for concern about the health of the players in the Pakistan team, as confirmed by team sources.
Pakistan has registered two wins in three matches during the event so far, but their only defeat came against arch-rivals India on Saturday.
Schedule of Pakistan’s remaining matches
20 October – vs Australia in Bengaluru
23 October – vs Afghanistan in Chennai
27 October – vs South Africa in Chennai
31 October – vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
4 November – vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
11 November – vs England in Kolkata
The day matches will start at 10:00 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST), while all other matches will be day-night fixtures starting at 01:30 pm (PST).
If Pakistan qualifies for the semi-finals, they will play in Kolkata.
If India qualifies for the semi-finals, they will play in Mumbai unless playing against Pakistan, in which case they will play in Kolkata.
Pakistan squad for ICC World Cup 2023
Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, M Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha.
Travelling reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan.
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