Mohammad Haris to replace Zaman in Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad

DUBAI: The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 has approved Mohammad Haris as a replacement for Fakhar Zaman in the Pakistan squad on Thursday.

Pakistan Cricket Board named Mohammad Harris as the replacement for injured Fakhar Zaman for the remainder of the T20 World Cup

Harris was named as a replacement for Fakhar after he sustained a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury to his right knee.

Fakhar was nursing a knee injury before coming into the tournament and it got aggravated after the game against the Netherlands on Sunday.

“Obviously with any knee injury, it takes time to have 100% recovery. Fakhar and the team understood the risks of coming into the tournament and we got him in. You saw how he performed with batting… Unfortunately in the last match, he had a bit of a twist which aggravated his injury,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Pakistan team doctor Najeebullah Soomro as saying.

“We were aware of the risks of the comeback. He is obviously an important player for the team. The player, the medical staff and the team management were aware of that. We decided to bring him back in. In cricket, and any sport, we take risks. Sometimes they pay off, sometimes they don’t,” he added.

Two defeats by the narrowest of margins have left Pakistan on the edge of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, but not yet totally out of the picture in terms of qualification for the semi-finals.

Pakistan team still have a hint of hope of reaching the knockout stage. First, they must beat South Africa on Thursday. Even if the Men in Green register victories in their final two group games against South Africa and Bangladesh they will need other results to go their way to earn a semi-final spot.

The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the replacement player can be officially added to the squad.

The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 consists of Wasim Khan, ICC General Manager – Cricket (Chair); Chris Tetley, ICC Head of Events; Peter Roach, Cricket Australia, Shane Doyle, Men’s T20 World Cup Local Organising Committee; Shaun Pollock (Independent) and Ian Bishop (Independent).