Flu forces Abdullah Shafique to 'stop meeting people'

Pakistani batter Abdullah Shafique has caught the flu and stopped meeting people, people familiar with the matter said Tuesday.

The opener also missed the Green Shirts' training session today at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The team is gearing up for their highly-anticipated World Cup match against Australia on October 20, three days from now, in Bengaluru.

People familiar with the matter told Geo News that Shafique had contracted the flu today, forcing him to avoid unnecessary meetings with others.

The people also said that pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and leg-spinner Usama Mir had also caught the flu, but have now recovered.

While today's training session was underway, six players missed it. They include Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen, and Salman Ali Agha along with travelling reserves Zaman Khan and Mohammad Haris.

The people said that the players, apart from Shafique, did not partake in the training to rest.

The players who displayed fever symptoms were promptly checked as per the team's health protocol. Additionally, in line with the safety measures, all players were tested for COVID-19 and screened for symptoms related to dengue fever.

In a statement earlier in the day, the Pakistan Cricket Board said that some players got fever in the past few days and most of them have fully recovered from it.

"Those who are in the stage of recovery remain under the team medical panel’s observation," the board added.

Pakistan head into Friday's competition having played three matches in the mega event. They have won two and lost a match against arch-rivals India on Saturday.

Pakistan squad for ICC World Cup 2023

Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, M Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha.

Travelling reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan