Imad declared fit, set to return for India clash

NEW YORK: Pakistan have been given a much-needed boost ahead of Sunday´s clash with India at the T20 World Cup with all-rounder Imad Wasim passed fit to play.

Imad had to sit out Pakistan´s opening game -- the humiliating defeat to the USA in Dallas - and had missed the final match of their pre-tournament series with England with what was reported to be a rib injury.

But Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten told the pre-match press conference that they would be able to call on the 35-year-old left-arm spinner.

“He will be available,” said the South African, who took over the reigns of the Pakistan team in April.

Kirsten was unable to give any details of Pakistan´s likely line-up as he said he was waiting on fitness updates on other players.

But the coach said that whoever took the field would not need any extra-motivation to bounce back from the painful defeat to the USA with a win against Pakistan´s arch-rivals.

“It´s never nice not winning games of cricket for any player. They´re trying their best. It´s never nice. I don´t think I needed to motivate this team for this game,” he said.

“I think the important thing for us is that we operate genuinely as a team. Yes, we need individuals to make good performances, but playing games like this, I think is a real team effort. “It´s a big game, so we´re going to treat it as any other game. But certainly, give it our best shot.

The team´s motivated. I mean, if that´s what you´re questioning, two days ago is forgotten. We can´t take it back. It´s gone. So, we move on,” he said.

Ten days earlier the PCB had said Imad missed the final game of the T20I series against England for “precautionary reasons” with a suspected rib injury, but then he also missed Pakistan’s first game at the World Cup against USA.

Imad’s return will be a big boost for Pakistan: in his absence, they had struggled to balance the side.

They decided to go into the game against USA with an out-of-form Azam Khan and Shadab Khan as the only specialist spinner, despite lingering concerns about his ability with the ball.

Azam was dismissed for a golden duck, while Shadab came in for pointed criticism by his captain Babar Azam, when he said following the loss that Pakistan’s “spinners” (Iftikhar Ahmed, the part-timer, was the other option and bowled just one over) struggled to pick up wickets.

Now, Imad is likely to slot into the XI in Azam’s place.

While this specific rib niggle - the PCB officially called it “discomfort in his right rib cage’ - has not been an issue for Imad in the past, he has struggled with a range of injuries.

He has nursed a knee injury for much of his career which inhibited his ability to play the longer formats.

Ahead of the 2019 World Cup, he was given extra time to pass a fitness test due to his chronic knee injury, and he initially retired from the international game in 2023.

On his return earlier this year, he made it clear he was not signing a central contract, and had only returned for this particular World Cup.