Pakistan Shaheens’ tour of England has hit a sour note as Sajid Khan, a regular face in the Test squad, has been ruled out after fracturing his right thumb during a training session on Tuesday at Tonbridge School Ground.
The injury came just hours before the Shaheens were set to face the Professional County Club Select XI in their opening one-day match at the Kent County Cricket Ground in Beckenham.
Following medical assessment, Sajid is now heading back home for treatment and rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore.
What Was Sajid Even Doing There?
Here’s the real question, though: why was Sajid Khan on this tour in the first place? Let’s call a spade a spade. This is a low-stakes series against a team made up of England’s developing county players.
It’s not the Ashes. It’s not even the County Championship. This tour was meant to give young Pakistani players some exposure to English conditions.
And yes, some of the players in the Shaheens squad, like Shamyl Hussain and Maaz Sadaqat, do need this platform. But Sajid? And Saud Shakeel, who is the Test vice-captain? That’s where it starts to look like a planning misstep.
High-Risk, Low-Reward
Sajid Khan is 31 and has been part of the senior Test side. The next few months could see Pakistan playing crucial red-ball cricket, and Sajid is one of the few reliable spin options available.
Now imagine if this fracture takes longer to heal than expected. Suddenly, Pakistan may be looking at a Test series without one of their frontline spinners, all because he got injured on a tour that arguably had little relevance to his development.
Should Senior Players Be Risked on Development Tours?
PCB clearly intended this tour to keep players active and give fringe names some match time. But that goal could’ve been achieved without risking senior Test players.
The Shaheens squad should have been a breeding ground for emerging talent, not a backdoor assignment for players already cemented in the national setup.
Would England send Ben Foakes or Jack Leach to play against a Pakistan Board XI at the Gaddafi Stadium just for “exposure”? Highly unlikely.
With no replacement called up, the Shaheens will now have to make do without an experienced spinner for the rest of the series, which runs from July 22 to 27.
But more than that, this situation is a reminder for PCB to rethink its squad selections for these “development” tours.
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