Naseem Shah ruled out of England series after contracting COVID-19

Lahore: Pakistan’s bowling sensation Naseem Shah has been ruled out of the England series on Thursday after testing positive for novel coronavirus. He was hospitalized in Lahore after his health worsened on Tuesday.    

As per media reports, the 19-year-old has been suffering from a high-grade fever due to a chest infection and underwent several screening tests including the dengue virus after which he was admitted to a private medical facility for treatment. 

The cricketer will remain under observation for upcoming days. 

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that their in-house medical panel was monitoring him, and that any calls on his participation in the remainder of the ongoing series against England would be made after assessing his medical reports.

However, the development effectively rules him out of the entirety of the Lahore leg of the remaining matches against England, leaving him a significant doubt for the forthcoming tour of New Zealand.

The national squad will depart for New Zealand soon after the completion of home T20I series against England. They are scheduled to play first match against Bangladesh on October 7. 

Pakistan and England arrived in the city yesterday afternoon after four riveting T20Is in Karachi. After what will go down as the comeback for the ages by Pakistan, and it is upon Lahore, fondly referred to as the ‘heart of the country’ in the subcontinent literature, to decide the winners.  

The fact that the series is playing the build-up to the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup adds more flavour as the two teams finalise their combinations ahead of the all-important tournament.