The Pakistan team at the World Cup has been hit by a minor health issue with a few of their players afflicted by fever. Ace fast bowler Shaheen Afridi is believed to be among those affected.
According to a statement from the Pakistan team management, some of the players who had been suffering from fever are now on the path to recovery, while others are still recuperating. “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,” a spokesman for the Babar Azam-led team said.
The names of those under the weather have not been disclosed but it is understood that the players who are unwell include Shaheen, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Haris and Zaman Khan. “There is no viral infection or disease. A few players had a fever and most have already recovered,” the statement said without disclosing the names.
PCB lodges complaint against inappropriate crowd behaviour
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that it has lodged a complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC) against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Ahmedabad crowd for inappropriate conduct targetted at its players during the game against India. The PCB has also expressed its dissatisfaction with the BCCI for failing to arrange visas for Pakistan fans and for not securing timely visas for its journalists.
“Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has lodged another formal protest with ICC over delays in visas for Pakistani journalists and absence of a visa policy for Pakistan fans for the ongoing World Cup 2023,” the PCB statement said. It went on to add: “The PCB has also filed a complaint in respect of Inappropriate Conduct targeted at the Pakistan Squad during the India vs Pakistan Match held on 14th October 2023.”
There was no immediate comment from the ICC, but Cricbuzz understands that a section of the crowd directed profanities at a few Pakistan players during the Ahmedabad game, which Pakistan lost by seven wickets.
Pakistan, who have a 2-1 record in the league stage of this World Cup, next face Australia in Bengaluru on October 20.
