Pakistan allrounder Shadab Khan sidelined by concussion sustained against South Africa

The 25-year-old did not feature against Bangladesh on October 31 as he manages his third concussion injury since September 2022

Phil Campbell | 31/10/2023 at 12:04

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed vice-captain Shadab Khan missed Pakistan's World Cup clash with Bangladesh in Kolkata due to a concussion sustained against South Africa on October 27.

Shadab picked up the injury after hitting his head on the ground while fielding in Chennai and was replaced by Usama Mir, the first concussion substitute in a men's World Cup, who went on to take two wickets in the dramatic one-wicket loss.

In a statement, the PCB said: "After a thorough assessment, the medical panel had no choice but to rule him out of the match against Bangladesh."

It is the 25-year-old's third concussion since September 2022.

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^{Shadab required medical attention after hitting his head while fielding against South Africa [Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images]}

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^{Shadab was replaced by Usama Mir, who went on to take two wickets [R Satish Babu/Getty Images]}

The first came during last year's Asia Cup final defeat to Sri Lanka in Dubai when he collided with Asif Ali's elbow in the field. The second followed a nasty clash with teammate Nathan McAndrew on his Sussex debut in the T20 Blast in May, resulting in him not bowling.

"Every precaution is being taken, keeping in mind his health and wellbeing," the statement continued. "He will continue to be assessed over the coming days."

The allrounder has scored 117 runs at 29.2 in the World Cup, striking at 103.5.

The bulk of those runs came from scores of 43, 40 and 32 against South Africa, Afghanistan, and Netherlands, respectively, with the right-hander's lower order contribution against the latter helping Pakistan to an 81-run win.

However, he's struggled to make an impact with the ball, taking just two wickets with his leg-spin.

Following their clash with Bangladesh, Pakistan's next opponents are New Zealand, who they face in Bangalore on November 4. Shadab's availability for that fixture is yet to be confirmed.