Pakistan tour of England 2020: Khushdil Shah likely to miss first Test after fractured thumb

Khushdil Shah likely to miss first Test: Pakistani all-rounder has been ruled out for three weeks and presumably the first Test.

Pakistan all-rounder Khushdil Shah has been ruled out for up to three weeks after fracturing his thumb during a practice session in England.

The unfortunate development has all but ruled out Shah from the first Test against England which is scheduled to begin from August 5.

“As the nail is intact and there is no injury to nail bed, the orthopaedic surgeon, team physician and team physiotherapist expect Khushdil [Shah] to resume physical training by the end of the next week,” PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) said in a statement.

Khushdil Shah has been ruled out for up to 3 weeks after suffering a fractured left thumb while batting during Saturday’s training session. Khushdil isn’t playing in the ongoing four-day match and will not be available for selection for the second match from 24-27 July #Cricket

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) July 19, 2020

Khushdil Shah likely to miss first Test

Shah, 25, had made his T20I debut against Australia in Perth last year and the same remains his lone international appearance till date. With Pakistan not having named separate squads for Tests and T20Is till now, one can’t rule out the possibility of Shah being named for the three-match Test series.

Having said that, Shah was primarily being considered for the T20Is on the back of his impressive show in the last season of the Pakistan Super League. In nine T20s for Multan Sultans this year, the southpaw had scored 175 runs at an average of 43.75 and a strike rate of 147.05.

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Pakistan, who are slated to play three T20Is in England, will play the white-ball matches on August 28, August 30 and September 1. Almost certain to regain fitness till then, Shah might find a slot in the middle-order of Pakistan’s T20I side.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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