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Pakistan's senior pacer Hasan Ali has been ruled out of their upcoming 2023 World Cup match against South Africa at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday due to illness.
Ali reportedly developed fever on Wednesday night, which sidelined him from the Men in Green's crucial encounter against the Proteas. It is a big setback for Babar Azam and company, given that the seamer has been one of the few Pakistani bowlers to have fared decently in the tournament.
A number of fans, however, took this as an opportunity to troll Hasan Ali on social media, suggesting that the fast bowler didn't want to bowl to South Africa's destructive batting lineup.
Here are some of the top reactions:
Right-arm seamer Mohammad Wasim Jr. is expected to replace Hasan Ali in the playing XI against South Africa.
It is worth mentioning that this isn't the first instance of a Pakistani player missing a 2023 World Cup match due to illness. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz missed the team's fixture against Afghanistan due to fever.
Pakistan's semi-final hopes hang by a thread following three successive losses in the 2023 World Cup
Babar Azam and company kicked off their campaign with a comprehensive 81-run win over the Netherlands in their opening contest. They followed it up with a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka, successfully chasing down a 345-run target, the highest in World Cup history.
However, they failed to capitalize on the impressive start, succumbing to a seven-wicket loss to arch-rivals India after being bundled out for just 191. Pakistan lost to Australia by 63 runs in their subsequent clash.
They slumped to their third straight loss in the showpiece event after Afghanistan chased down Pakistan's 283-run target comfortably with eight wickets to spare.
The side find themselves in a precarious position at this stage, as they are placed sixth in the points table with a net run rate of -0.400.
