LAHORE: Asif Ali will captain Islamabad United during the match against Peshawar Zalmi on Thursday in the absence of Shadab Khan who suffered an injury.
“Aasif Ali will be officially captaining Islamabad United for the 1st time in PSL in the absence of Shadab Khan against Peshawar Zalmi,” the franchise said in a statement.
Skipper Shadab Khan and pacer Zeeshan Zameer have been ruled out of their team’s match. “We have just received their medical reports and medical panel will share all the details soon,” the franchise said in a statement on Wednesday.
In a tweet, the Islamabad United captain informed fans that he had suffered an injury during his side’s match against Karachi Kings at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
.@AasifAli2018 will be officially captaining Islamabad United for the 1st time in @thePSLt20 in the absence of @76Shadabkhan against Peshawar Zalmi.#UnitedWeWin #HBLPSL7 pic.twitter.com/vD5PIR6Uyt
— Islamabad United (@IsbUnited) February 16, 2022
Shadab Khan was unable to bowl his full quota of four overs during the match and had to go off the field in the second innings. “Unfortunately I don’t know the extent of my injury yet. Please pray for me and my team,” Shadab tweeted after the match.
READ MORE: PSL7: Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators call for new players
Despite Shadab’s absence, Islamabad managed to win a thrilling contest against Karachi by just one run. The defeat for Karachi, which was their seventh in a row, also meant that the Babar Azam-led unit can no longer qualify for the playoffs.
The latest blow to Islamabad comes after opening batter Alex Hales decided to pull out of the ongoing seventh edition of PSL. Hales took to his Instagram story and confirmed that the COVID-19 bubble had taken a toll on him and he could not continue. Hales played seven games for Islamabad this season and scored 255 runs at an average of 42.50, smashing two half-centuries.
