The Pakistan fast bowler suffered a shoulder injury on his County Championship debut
Naseem Shah has been ruled out of Gloucestershire's remaining LV= Insurance County Championship matches in April and May.
The 19-year-old fast bowler injured his shoulder during the draw against Northamptonshire, during which he claimed one wicket in the first innings but was unable to bowl on the final day as his side chased victory.
In encouraging news for the county, however, Shah is not returning home and will instead undergo his rehabilitation in Bristol with a view to making his comeback in the T20 Blast.
That decision has followed discussions between the medical teams of Gloucestershire and the Pakistan Cricket Board around the teenager's workload.
"What's really important, as with any young player, is that we do what's best for Naseem," Steve Snell, the club's performance director told The Cricketer last week.
"We'd love to see him out there, but I'm really aware that he hopefully has a long career in front of him and I want him to look back on his experience with Gloucestershire as being at a club that had his best interests at heart and wanted to look after a young cricketer."
Naseem joined Gloucestershire after a busy winter (Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images)
Gloucestershire, however, are better placed than most to deal with the loss of an overseas player, having had three under contract since the start of the campaign.
Marcus Harris, the Australian opener, made his debut in last week's six-wicket defeat by Yorkshire and made a century, while Zafar Gohar – the Pakistani left-arm spinner – impressed in the second half of last season and has been tied to a pay-as-you-play retainer for the first portion of the summer. He replaced Shah against Yorkshire and will fill his void in his absence.
Gloucestershire are not short on seam options either, with David Payne soon to return after a bout of Covid. Ajeet Singh-Dale, a new signing for this season, impressed against Yorkshire, bowling at pace with a slingy action and claiming six wickets overall. Jared Warner was also an unused squad member.
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