‘It is a big blow’ - Morne Morkel reflects on Naseem Shah getting ruled out of remainder of Asia Cup

Pakistan have been dealt with a heavy blow as star pacer Naseem Shah has been ruled out of the remainder of the Asia Cup 2023. The 20-year-old sustained an injury to his right shoulder when Pakistan took on India in the Super Four stage of the tournament.

With Pakistan all set to take on Sri Lanka in a virtual semi-final, the absence of Shah could prove to be a major setback for the Babar Azam-led side. Notably, Zaman Khan has been called up as the youngster's replacement, and the game against Sri Lanka is especially crucial as a victory will secure their place in the summit clash of the tournament.

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With Naseem’s injury, Pakistan’s bowling coach Morne Morkel took centre stage and talked about how unfortunate Naseem’s injury is for the squad. He also stated that with a big loss against India, he was excited to see the new guys come in and show character against Sri Lanka.

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"Obviously, it is a big blow (absence of Naseem). It is unfortunate that he picked some little niggles. But what a fantastic opportunity for the guys you know coming in. After going down against India, it’s a must win game for us tomorrow. I’m quite excited to see new guys stepping in and showing some character," Morne Morkel said during the pre-match press conference. 

We were bitterly disappointed: Morkel

Morkel also talked of Pakistan’s bitter loss to the Indian team. It is worth noting that India dominated Pakistan throughout their recent clash and ran away with a 228-run victory; speaking of which, Morkel opined that the side was very disappointed with that loss.

"After the India match, we were bitterly disappointed. For me, it is very important for the bowlers to do a bit of self-reflection, ask yourself the hard questions. Yes, credit must also go to the Indian batters," Morkel said.

"They put us under pressure early. Those are fantastic lessons for us before the World Cup. We are gonna grow from this and come back stronger," he concluded.