Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to withdraw Naseem Shah from the Under-19 World Cup 2020 squad indicates that the board didn’t want to drag itself into another controversy regarding the actual age of young pace sensation, as the board secretly had investigated regarding the same.
The 16-year-old had made headlines for allegedly hiding his real age when he made his debut for Pakistan during the two-match Test series in Australia last year in December, but the PCB rescued the young pace sensation by denying quashing all allegations and validating his current age.
Shah had been withdrawn from the Youth World Cup 2020 to be played in South Africa from January 17 to February 9 and Mohammad Wasim Jnr was named as his replacement by the PCB.
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Well, the matter has once come into the light after a Pakistan journalist Saj Sadiq’s tweet dated December 1, 2018, making rounds on social media.
The Twitter post reads: “Highly rated 17-year-old pace bowler Nasim Shah who was signed by Quetta Gladiators for the Pakistan Super League has suffered a back injury. He is back in training and hopes to be fit for PSL4 #Cricket #PSL4.”
Meanwhile, it is being said that the PCB has done investigation at its own level after the Australia tour regarding Shah’s age, which indicated that the board had withdrawn Naseem from the World Cup 2020 to escape the age-fudging controversy, but a board spokesman has insisted that it was just a routine practice to conduct an inquiry regarding Shah’s age.
The Dawn reported: “Sources said that PCB’s doctors in their reports could not ascertain Shah’s exact date of birth because they are of the view that no reliable scientific way is available to determine that while no international sporting bodies recognize bone test as the authentic parameter to decide any player’s age.”
It concludes: “An official of the junior team’s management on the condition of anonymity told Dawn that Nasim’s presence in the team would have been more beneficial for Pakistan to win the tournament. But he said senior team management preferred to work with him at home before the home series against Bangladesh, although currently, it was in the doldrums.”
(With The Dawn Inputs)
