LONDON: New Zealand’s right-arm pacer Tim Southee replaced his Pakistan counterpart Naseem Shah in the Birmingham Phoenix squad for this year’s edition of The Hundred.
The development was confirmed by the league as it confirmed the availability of the England Men’s players — currently featuring in the home Test series against West Indies — and also the players’ replacements.
As a result, Tim Southee will represent Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred 2024 in place of Naseem Shah.
Last week, Naseem was denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to participate in The Hundred.
According to the details, the cricketing body made the decision in a bid to prevent Naseem from potential injuries and to ensure his workload management as he is Pakistan’s first-choice pacer in all three formats.
Notably, Naseem was signed by Birmingham Phoenix in the £125,000 category and his absence from the tournament will result in him suffering significant financial loss.
Considering Pakistan’s upcoming busy season which includes World Test Championship (WTC) matches against Bangladesh, England and West Indies while also playing an ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025, the PCB is unwilling to take any risks regarding Naseem Shah’s fitness.
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For the unversed, Naseem also missed the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India due to a shoulder injury.
The right-arm pacer suffered the injury during the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023 fixture against India which resulted in him ruling out of the tournament remainder.
The incident occurred in the 46th over of India’s innings when he walked off the field favouring his bowling shoulder on the reserve day allocated for the blockbuster clash between two Asian giants.
Briefly, after Pakistan’s 228-run defeat against arch-rivals India, the PCB called up Zaman Khan and Shahnawaz Dahani as backup pacers for the rest of the tournament, as a precautionary measure to provide a cover for injured Naseem and Haris Rauf.
Later, the PCB confirmed that Naseem Shah was ruled out of the Asia Cup 2023 and Zaman was added to the Pakistan squad.
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