Shadab Khan will play no further part in Pakistan's ongoing tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe because of a left toe injury he sustained while batting in the second ODI against South Africa in Johannesburg on Sunday, which has sidelined him "for up to four weeks".
A PCB statement on the matter said, "X-rays conducted following the match revealed an 'intra articular communicated fracture' though there is neither any displacement nor angulation. The injury will be treated conservatively and Shadab will undergo a four-week rehab."
Khan made useful contributions with ball and bat in the first ODI, which Pakistan won by three wickets. His eight wicketless overs went for 45 runs - an economy rate of 5.63 - but he was less effective in the second game, returning none for 64 from nine overs and then scoring a 23-ball 13 in a steep chase, as his team lost by 17 runs.
Remember me in your prayers. I am putting in a lot of effort, I believe if u keep working hard and keep fighting through tough times, Allah helps u reach ur goals. I will keep working hard and will bounce back inshAllah. Thank you for all your love and support. #PakistanZindabad
— Shadab Khan (@76Shadabkhan) April 5, 2021
The 22-year-old has had a rough time with injuries in recent times, and was out with groin and hamstring problems most recently.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Khan attributed his falling returns with the ball to his struggles with fitness, saying, "I know I wasn't up to the mark and haven't done well with the ball lately. That is mainly because of the groin injury. My bowling action takes a lot of energy and causes pain and was directly affecting it."
Khan had missed the home white-ball series against Zimbabwe late last year after first complaining about the groin injury but recovered in time for the New Zealand tour. The problem, however, got worse during a tour game in Christchurch, but he was cleared to lead Pakistan in the T20Is after Babar Azam picked up a finger injury. Khan was later ruled out of the Test series, and remained with the squad for his rehabilitation. He returned to the field during PSL 2021 but averaged 56.50 with the ball in four games taking only two wickets for 8.69 runs per over.