It is the first national call-up for Shahbaz, the 27-year-old batting allrounder. In his short career at the representative level so far, Shahbaz has made a name as a strong lower middle-order batter and left-arm spinner, both for Bengal – whom he represents in India’s domestic circuit – as well as Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.
In first-class cricket, Shahbaz has a batting average of 41.64 and a bowling average of 19.47 from 18 games, while the corresponding numbers in List A cricket are 47.28 and 39.20.
Shahbaz started out with Royal Challengers in 2020, two years after making his debut for Bengal, and has so far scored 279 runs at an average of 18.60 and strike rate of 118.72 from 29 games, while also picking up 13 wickets at an average of 36.31 and economy rate of 8.58.
As reported by ESPNcricinfo at the time, he felt soreness in his shoulder, which put him out of the remainder of the match. PTI quoted an unnamed BCCI official as saying that Washington “will have to undergo rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy [NCA]”.
Washington’s plan was to play the Royal London Cup match against Hampshire on August 14 before leaving for Zimbabwe. The remainder of the Indian team had left for Zimbabwe on August 13.
*This story was updated at 8.45 GMT after Shahbaz was confirmed as Washington’s replacement