Pakistan’s young pacer Naseem Shah, who is currently undergoing rehabilitation for a shoulder injury, has been helping his side in their campaign for the ongoing World Cup 2023 even in absentia.

The Men in Green are having hard luck this World Cup as their chances of reaching the semi-finals are dire due to consecutive losses at the mega event in India, except for the last match against Bangladesh.

Naseem’s absence has made the situation worse as he is considered a crucial part of Pakistan’s bowling attack, which might have been affected without him.

However, his teammate Mohammad Wasim Jr — who is also a fast bowler and part of the Pakistan squad in the mega event — revealed that Naseem has been helping the team.

In a video released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday, Wasim said that Naseem’s tips proved helpful in matches against South Africa and Bangladesh.

“We are definitely missing Naseem Shah. I spoke to Naseem before Pakistan’s match against South Africa as well as Bangladesh. He advised me about how to bowl on these pitches which helped me. Naseem’s tips were really helpful for me,” said Wasim.

The 22-year-old seamer has picked five wickets in two matches of the ongoing World Cup 2023. He bagged figures of 2-50 against South Africa and 3-31 against Bangladesh.

While Naseem undergoes rehabilitation, Hasan Ali replaced him in Pakistan’s squad for the World Cup.

The 20-year-old was ruled out of the Pakistani squad for ICC World Cup 2023 due to the injury he sustained during Asia Cup 2023 and is expected to stay on the sidelines for a long period.

As for Pakistan, South Africa defeated New Zealand by 190 runs in the 32nd match of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 in Pune on Wednesday which aided the Green Shirts’ cause during the mega event.

The Proteas’ win has given a slight help to Pakistan’s chances since Babar and Co’s road to the semi-final of the World Cup remains difficult with many hurdles in between.

As it is essential for Pakistan to win their remaining matches, in an ideal scenario, the Green Shirts should beat New Zealand in the next game and hope the Black Caps lose to Sri Lanka.

If the Black Caps lose their matches, they would finish the group stage with eight points, and Pakistan can qualify for the knockout stage with 10 points should they beat their next two opponents.

Pakistan’s remaining ICC World Cup 2023 matches

• November 4 – vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
• November 11 – vs England in Kolkata

The day matches which 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 qualify 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.