Among all the tough times of the batting and bowling department of the Pakistan side during their two-match Test series against Bangladesh at home, one of the brightest aspects for the Shan Masood-led side was their young pacer, Khurram Shahzad, who bowled with sheer pacer and aggression against the visiting batters in Rawalpindi.
The 24-year-old had impressed the selectors with his excellent record in the first-class circuit, as he has picked up 150 wickets in 48 games at an average of under 29 and a strike rate of around eight overs, with the best of 6/23 in an innings. Khurram Shahzad debuted against Australia in 2023 at Perth but showed great quality in the game.
The 24-year-old finished the two-match series as the second-highest wicket-taker against Bangladesh, as he collected nine wickets in three innings at an average of 24.44 and a strike rate of 38, with the best of 6/90, as at one point during the first innings of the visitor’s batting, he breathed fire with incredible line and length.
Khurram Shahzad is expected to be fit for the England Test series
The Pakistan quick bowler, Khurram Shahzad, was off the field for the lion’s share of the final day of the home series. There were reports of him feeling pain and stiffness on the left side of his body, as the scans revealed after the game.
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ESPNcricinfo has revealed that the results have ruled out a fracture, and doctors have advised him to take a certain but short period of break for the moment, which means that Khurram Shahzad would be fit for the upcoming three-match Test series against England, which starts on the second week of October at the Multan Stadium.
The side niggle has been a huge concern for the pacer in recent history, as picked up an injury during his debut red-ball game at Perth, which later turned out to be a stress fracture on the rib, ruling the Mandi Bhauddin-born for several months.
When he returned to the Bangladesh series, the pacer hadn’t bowled a single delivery in the first-class arena since the issue in Perth. This is a reason why he will not take part in the Champions One-day Cup, which is going to start next week as Pakistan looks to nurse him back before the first Test against England. After going through another MRI scan conducted next week, his progress will be monitored.
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The Green Brigade could have lost another pacer with injury, which hasn’t brightened up their track record of handling such pacers. The premier left-arm pacer, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and the right-arm pacer, Naseem Shah, have been on the wrong side of the issue, along with the expressive pacer Harris Rauf, which has kept him away from the longest format for a long time.
The medical department of the PCB has come under serious scrutiny, when an internal view criticized them due to the injury of Ihsanullah, and the quality of his treatment, with the chief doctor of the team, Dr. Sohail Saleem resigned on the same day.