Mumbai, April 6 (IANS) Pakistan’s young pacer Naseem Shah, already reeling after copping a hefty fine for his comments on a politician on social media, has landed in further trouble — over his suspect long-standing fitness issues.

Naseem Shah is likely to be pulled due to fitness issues as the young pacer is doubtful for the remainder of Pakistan Super League (PSL), a matter that is likely to earn him further ire, Telecom Asia Sport claimed on Monday.

“Naseem suffered a side strain during Rawalpindi’s match against Karachi Kings on Thursday and missed the team’s last match, which has raised serious questions over his fitness,” sources told www.telecomasia.net.

The 23-year-old pacer had suffered an injury in the last match of Pakistan’s miserable 2026 T20 World Cup campaign and was ruled out of the subsequent tour of Bangladesh.

According to the report, Naseem’s fitness and behaviour have been questionable, and that has irked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials and the medical panel. He is likely to be pulled up for both issues and will have to complete an extensive rehab program under the medical panel.

The young pacer started his career with some remarkable performances and was on the verge of establishing himself as Pakistan’s all-format player, taking a hat-trick against Bangladesh in 2020, and was impressive in the 2022 T20 World Cup.

“Naseem’s rise has been stunted by off-field behaviour, his excessive attention to advertisements and podcasts, which has derailed his career. He also missed the 2023 ODI World Cup due to fitness issues, which are blots in his career,” Telecom Asia Sport said, quoting sources.

“Naseem will appear before the medical panel under Dr Javed Mughal in the next couple of days, as the selection committee is also not happy with his frequent fitness issues,” said sources.

Last month, Naseem was hit with what is believed to be the largest fine in Pakistan cricket history, PKR 20 million (approx. USD 72000). The fast bowler criticised Punjab’s chief minister, Maryam Nawaz, in a tweet.

Naseem initially said his account was hacked, which was not accepted by the PCB. Two days later, the PCB sent him a show-cause notice before imposing the fine. Naseem was also demoted to the ‘C’ category in players’ central contracts last year.

–IANS

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