Babar Azam gives an update on Fakhar Zaman's fitness
India and Pakistan are all set to face each other at the iconic MCG on Sunday (October 23) in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The much awaited battle will also be the first game for both sides in this tournament.
Ahead of the game, while Rohit Sharma confirmed that all 15 members of the India squad are fit and available, Pakistan seemed to be still fretting over Fakhar Zaman's fitness.
Perhaps their skipper Babar Azam has ruled Fakhar out from the game against arch-rivals India. He informed that the left-handed batter is yet to recover from his knee injury and will need a couple more days to get completely fit.
Interestingly, Fakhar was a late addition to the World Cup squad as he replaced Usman Qadir. "Fakhar hasn't recovered fully. It will take him one or two matches," Babar said in the pre-match presser.
Shan Masood set to play
However, Pakistan batter Shan Masood has been declared fit for the encounter. He got hit on the head on Friday (October 21) during the nets. Masood was reportedly lying on the ground for 5-7 minutes after a shot from Mohammad Nawaz hit him.
He was also taken to hospital and was doubtful for the game. But he is now fit and raring to go in the crucial game.
"Shan Masood has recovered. All the test reports look good. He is ready for tomorrow. We haven't yet seen the pitch. We know an XI in the back of the mind, but we will confirm it when we see the wicket," Babar further added.
Shan Masood is expected to bat at number three now with Fakhar being ruled out and it remains to be seen how he performs against the Men in Blue.
Moreover, there is also a rain threat looming over the game with Melbourne experiencing a lot of rain in the build up to the game. The fans will be hoping for the clouds to shine bright on Sunday as two of the best T20 teams lock horns at the iconic MCG.