Pakistan injury woes mount with Abrar Ahmed out of second Australia Test,
Islamabad_Shadab Khan has said that players were being injured due to workload—a concern many experts have shown over star players’ inclusion in every series.
“It does not matter if you lose a match,” he told reporters in Lahore on Sunday. “This team has gone to Australia to win the series, not just a match.”
Many key players of the Pakistan cricket team have been injured in the recent past, missing out on big tournaments where Men in Green struggled to give a good performance.
Shadab himself has been ruled out of the five-match T20I New Zealand series, which would begin on January 12, due to the ankle injury. But he shared that he would be fit by first week of January.
The national side’s injury woes increased on Saturday after the cricket board said that spinner Abrar Ahmed would not be available for the second Australia Test. The off-spinner missed their 360-run defeat in Perth with leg discomfort.
Earlier,
It follows fellow spinner Noman Ali being hospitalised with acute appendicitis and ruled out of the rest of the three-match series. Pakistan’s pace battery is operating without Naseem Shah and Ihsanullah as the two fast bowlers have been ruled out due to injuries.
Pakistan lost to Australia in the opening first Test at Perth by 360 runs. Pakistan’s unlikely bid to win their first Test in Australia since 1995 was left in tatters by the spin king and the home side’s formidable pace attack, who wrapped up the game inside four days.
Read More From Daily The Destination: PCB Firm: Abrar Ahmed Excluded from Melbourne Test
Pakistan’s injury woes went from bad to worse on Sunday with off-spinner Abrar Ahmed the third player in as many days to be ruled out of the second Test against Australia.
Ahmed missed their 360-run defeat in Perth with leg discomfort, and while improving, he has not recovered sufficiently to take part in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne.
“Considering the nature of the injury and the workload required from a spinner in a Test match, Abrar is not yet ready and will therefore not be available for the second Test,” the Pakistan Cricket Board said.
“He will undergo a preliminary fitness test on December 25, which will determine his probable return-to-play date.”
It follows fellow spinner Noman Ali being hospitalised with acute appendicitis and ruled out of the rest of the three-match series.
Mohammad Nawaz has been drafted as a replacement, the PCB said.
Pace bowler Khurram Shahzad is another injury casualty, sidelined for the last two Tests with a stress fracture in the ribs along with an abdominal muscle tear after impressing on his debut in Perth.
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