leg injury forced Abrar Ahmed out for 1st test starting on Dec 14

The PCB on Sunday confirmed that legspinner Abrar Ahmed has been ruled out for the first Test match against Australia which begins in Perth from December 14.

The team management and selectors have agreed to include (right arm off spinner) Sajid Khan in the squad bearing in mind the number of left-handers in the Australian squad.

Sajid is unlikely to be able to travel to Australia before the Perth Test due to the time taken to complete the visa process. However, if Abrar is ruled out of the entire series, which seems unlikely, the off-spinner will travel to Australia.

The PCB staed that during an assessment by the medical team, a provisional diagnosis was made – justifying an MRI scan, which was done on the same day.

Abrar will undergo an intervention in Perth on Monday, after which conservative rehabilitation under the supervision of the team’s medical staff, will continue his road to recovery.

The injured spinner 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.

Australia tour schedule

1st Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 14-18: Perth Stadium – 7 :20 am PST

2nd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 26-30: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) – 4 :30 am PST

3rd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – January 3-7: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) – 4 :30 am PST