Imad Wasim, the experienced all-rounder of the Pakistan team had given the 4th and final T20I against England a miss on May 30. It was due to an injury he had suffered during prepping for the final T20I.
Imad Wasim was preparing for the fourth and final match of the series against England at the Kia Oval Stadium in Surrey. Wasim did not play in the game because of a right rib injury, and Pakistan lost the game by 7 wickets in a completely one-sided affair.
As per the Cricket Pakistan website, Imad Wasim informed the Pakistan team medical staff of his rib cage pain. As a precaution, Wasim was immediately removed from practice. He was therefore made unavailable for the fourth T20I at the Oval, with Usman Khan coming in for Wasim. The left-handed hitter and off-spinner returned to the National team in April after retiring earlier this year.
Imad Wasim’s injury add woes to Pakistan’s camp
PCB issued a press release on the player’s injury stating, “Keeping the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in mind, Imad will take ample rest and is expected to be fit before the start of Pakistan’s campaign.”
A medical panel of the PCB recommended the scan and is closely monitoring Imad’s condition to ensure his fitness for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
With that loss, Babar Azam’s team lost the series 2-0, with the remaining two games being called off due to rain. This was the last chance for Pakistan to prep for the T20 World Cup 2024 as they sacrificed warmup games in the USA for this T20I series.
Pakistan are placed in Group A with India, USA, Canada, and Ireland and the Green Army will play their inaugural World Cup game on June 6th, at the Nassau Country Cricket Ground in New York. They will then face India on June 5 at the same venue.
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan