Pakistan chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq on Friday (September 22) confirmed that Naseem Shah may remain out of action for a longer time than just the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

The right-arm quick wasn’t named in Pakistan’s World Cup squad announced on Friday due to a right shoulder injury he sustained during the recently held Asia Cup 2023.

The injury occurred during the Super Four clash against India in Colombo on September 11. Despite the PCB’s medical team closely monitoring his condition, Naseem's injury was serious enough to rule him out of the ODI World Cup in India.

The selectors have called up experienced pacer Hasan Ali to replace Naseem in Pakistan’s World Cup squad.

"Naseem Shah is a key bowler for us, but he's injured. I did not make too many changes in the team. It's more or less the same team you have seen play in the last one year maybe," Inzamam told reporters.

"Unfortunately, the report we have from our doctors, we hear Naseem will be out for a longer time than just the World Cup. At this time, he was the world's best bowler in my view. It's a loss for Pakistan. We hope he's fit soon," he added.

According to Inzamam, allowing the players to spend time in the hot and humid conditions of Sri Lanka may have caused injury concerns in the Pakistan camp.

"They played a test series there, then the Lankan Premier League, a series against Afghanistan and also Asia Cup matches. We wonder if spending such a long time in such conditions led to injuries to our bowlers as well as some batters," Inzamam said.

"Pakistan was the number one ODI team before the World Cup. We have to keep our trust on these players."

Pakistan will open their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on October 6 in Hyderabad.

Pakistan squad for World Cup: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Hasan Ali