Pakistan vs Australia: Sigh of relief as Mohammad Rizwan, Shoaib Malik declared fit to play

DUBAI: Pakistani cricketers Mohammad Rizwan and Shoaib Malik have been declared fit to play against Australia in the T20 World Cup semi-final.

In an update, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that a medical panel reviewed their fitness and okayed their participation in the crucial encounter.

Team Manager Mansoor Rana had earlier said that the players were feeling better and the management was hopeful that both of them will be in action today. 

"Rizwan and Shoaib want to play in the semi-final,” Rana had said.

Rizwan and Malik’s participation in today’s semi-final became doubtful after the in-form batters caught the flu, sources had told Geo News.

Their COVID-19 tests, however, returned negative but the doctors had advised them to rest, which is why they didn’t attend the last practice session and stayed at the hotel.

Pakistan have remained undefeated in the Super 12 stage of the tournament, where they beat India, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Namibia, and Scotland.

In a virtual press conference a day earlier, skipper Babar Azam said he was confident that the Men in Green will maintain their momentum and perform well against Australia in the semi-final.

Minor flaws have been pointed out in all the matches which sometimes relate to batting, sometimes bowling, Babar said.

He said sometimes fielding lapses were also noted.

"It is good that we are trying to fix these issues," he said.