MELBOURNE: Left-handed batter Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the most-talked clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 between Pakistan and India, scheduled for October 23.

According to the latest development, the hard-hitting batter failed to recover from his injury, which he sustained in the recently-held Asia Cup 2022 as he landed awkwardly on his right knee.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam, during the pre-match press conference, confirmed Fakhar’s unavailability for the all-important clash against India on Sunday.

“Fakhar Zaman is not fully fit which is why he won’t be available for our first match,” said Babar.

Following Fakhar’s exclusion, Pakistan are likely to carry on with Shan Masood at Number 3 as he has been declared fit after being hit on the head during the team’s training session on Friday.

“Shan Masood is fit and he cleared all the tests. He is ready for tomorrow,” Babar shared.

Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) updated on Shan’s injury status and shared the left-handed batter has cleared all of his medical tests and only sustained ‘superficial bruising’.

“All of Shan Masood´s neurological observations are normal. His CT scan only shows superficial bruising where the ball struck him,” PCB said in a statement.

“He will be re-tested [on Saturday] for concussion”, the PCB added.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan will start their T20 World Cup campaign on Sunday (October 23) as they take on their traditional rivals India.

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