Off the field Pakistan have been fighting to keep Champions Trophy on track with race against time on the upgradation of the two main stadiums in Lahore and Karachi.
On the field Pakistan have suffered a huge jolt when fast-rising dashing opener Saim Ayub is ruled out of the eight-nation Champions trophy.
Sources said Saim still needs four to five weeks before starting rehab in London, meaning he will not be part of the squad due to be announced later this week.
All eight teams have until February 11 to change their squad, after which any change can only be made due to injury with the permission of the tournament’s medical committee.
“Saim suffered a right ankle fracture, sustained during the first morning of the second Test in Cape Town and after initial treatment of plaster on he is now under the treatment of Dr Zafar in London and there are no chance of him playing in the Champions Trophy,” said PCB sources to Telecom Asia Sport (telecomasia.net).
Dr Zafar is a known sports medicine specialist who served the Crystal Palace Club and is now with premier English Football Club Arsenal.
The 22-year-old Saim has risen to fame during Pakistan’s 2-1 ODI series win in Australia, smashing a match-winning 82 not out at Adelaide. He then cracked 98 not out in a T20I in Zimbabwe before following that with his maiden century in the ODI against the same opposition.
His best came in South Africa where he cracked 109 in the first ODI at Paarl and then 101 at Johannesburg against a formidable South African bowling attack.
His performance was key in Pakistan inflicting the first-ever 3-0 home white-wash in an ODI series against South Africa.
The initial diagnosis ruled out any surgery but the recovery and rehab is taking time.
Saim’s absence will give a lease of life to Imam-ul-Haq who has a good record in ODIs with 3138 runs at 48.27 comprising nine centuries.
Besides Imam, discarded opener Fakhar Zaman also gets a lease of life. His fitness came into question after the Twenty20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies. The swashbuckling left-hander was left out of Pakistan’s tour of Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
“Fakhar is an impact player with proven credentials. He was left out due to fitness issues which he has now overcome to a great extent,” said a PCB source.
Saud Shakeel is also in the fray after being left out of the recent tours as he has proven credentials on the slow and flat pitches of Pakistan and the UAE. Kamran Ghulam is also in the squad after showing great hitting abilities in South Africa. Skipper Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Tayyab Tahir and Salman Agha will bolster the middle-order.
Aamer Jamal will fill the allrounder slot while Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Husnain will shoulder the pace attack while wrist spinner from Pakistan administered Kashmir Sufyan Moqeem and Abrar Ahmed will be the two frontline spinners.
Likely squad: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Kamran Ghulam, Irfan Khan, Aamer Jamal, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hussnain, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Sufyan Moqeem.
https://www.telecomasia.net/blog/exclusive-pakistan-s-fast-rising-saim-ayub-out-of-champions-trophy/
