'Used to wake up at night thinking my injury has healed' - Naseem Shah revisits traumatic time during World Cup 2023

Pakistani pace bowler Naseem Shah had a bitter pill to swallow last year when a serious shoulder injury cruelly robbed him of the chance to represent his nation at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

The right-arm pacer was in red-hot form leading into the tournament but was left shattered after going under the knife and being forced to watch from the sidelines as Pakistan disappointed once again on cricket's biggest event.

Shah's injury struck during the Asia Cup 2023, where he was among the leading wicket-takers before the disaster hit. Pakistan ultimately failed to qualify for the World Cup knockout rounds for the second successive edition, finishing fifth below New Zealand. The pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, and Haris Rauf failed to fire on unhelpful subcontinent pitches in Shah's absence.

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I just could not bear watching them: Naseem Shah

The 22-year-old has revealed the mental suffering of missing out on the game's greatest carnival. 

"It was very difficult for me to watch the matches on TV when you know that you belong on the ground with the rest of the team. I hardly saw any matches because I just could not bear watching them. My hand was in a sling after surgery and I used to randomly wake up at night thinking that the injury has healed," Naseem Shah said in an interview with CricWick.

Shah added: "When you are stuck in a room for a long period, you tend to feel down mentally, and you tend to feel frustrated."

The young pacer felt he was at the very peak of his powers before the cruel injury blow. "See, it is the dream of every player to represent their nation in the World Cup. Especially the ODI World Cup because it comes once every four years. Ahead of the tournament, I felt like I was at the peak of my prowess like every player feels at some stage of his career. My performance, my body, and everything else was perfect, and I had worked quite hard as well," he said.

While the disappointment runs deep, Shah maintains a philosophical perspective. "Unfortunately, you cannot do much when it comes to injuries, it can happen at any time in life. You can fall while catching the ball, and you cannot do much about these things," he concluded.

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