Team Pakistan has got a major setback as Abrar Ahmed has been ruled out of the opening Test against Australia. The first Test is scheduled to begin on Thursday. The leg spinner sustained a knee injury during the warm-up match against Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra. Also, there is no clarity on when the star bowler will be available for the selection.
After the injury, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released a statement regarding Abrar’s condition. The PCB affirmed that the leg spinner will remain with the team in Perth and undergo further treatment.
Any decisions regarding Abrar Ahmed’s participation will be made after an assessment conducted before the ‘Boxing Day’ Test. In place of Ahmed, Pakistan has selected the talented off-spinner Sajid Khan to join the Test squad ahead of the first Test match of the series.
“He has not been ruled out of the Test series yet, but keeping the player’s wellbeing in mind for this and future tours, further assessment before the second Test will ascertain his availability on this tour,” the press release mentioned.
The inaugural Test match for Pakistan against Australia in Perth is set to commence on December 14. The second Test is scheduled to start on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and the final Test will take place at the SCG on January 3.
Updated Squad Of Pakistan For The Test Against Australia
Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Sajid Khan, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.20 Nov 2023
