Malik, Rizwan down with flu ahead of crucial Australia clash  

Dubai: In a major blow for Pakistan, middle-order batter Shoaib Malik and opener Mohammad Rizwan are down with the flu and might miss team's semifinal clash against Australia in the ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup.  

The duo didn’t take part in the practice session on Wednesday amid mild flu, a day before their semi-final with Australia in Dubai.

As per reports, Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed will replace Rizwan if the latter is unavailable and Shoaib Malik will be replaced by Haider Ali.

The players will undergo a medical check-up today before the match. 

Covid-19 tests were carried out and both players returned negative, however the team doctor, Dr Najeeb Soomro, has advised them to rest. 

Malik and Rizwan’s participation in the match against Australia will be confirmed today.    

However, the Pakistan team management is hopeful that both, Malik and Rizwan, will recover in time for the match. 

This will be Pakistan's fifth appearance in the T20 WC semifinals.