MASOOD CLEARS TESTS AFTER BLOW TO HEAD

MELBOURNE: Pakistan batter Shan Masood has got away with “superficial bruising” after being hit on the head during a practice session ahead of the team’s first match at the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Pakistan will begin their campaign against India in Melbourne on Sunday.

The team got the injury scare as it prepared for the game, when a stray shot from Mohammad Nawaz struck Masood on the head and left him lying flat on the ground before he was sent to hospital for scans.

“All of Shan Masood’s neurological observations are normal. His CT scan only shows superficial bruising where the ball struck him,” the PCB said.

“He will be retested (Saturday)” for concussion, the PCB added. The 33-year-old is regarded as a technically sound top-order batter and has hit two half-centuries in 12 T20Is since his debut in September.

Images on social media showed Pakistan players and team staff surrounding Masood, and a distraught Nawaz sitting on his knees.