LAHORE: Pacer Haris Rauf has been ruled out from series against England with strain in right quad.
Earlier on Friday, PCB spokesperson said Haris underwent Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) at a local hospital here as a precautionary method to examine a likely injury that the former sustained on the first day of the Rawalpindi Test.
Haris rolled over the ball in a fielding attempt on the first day of the match and felt discomfort in his right quad. He is under observation by the team’s medical staff despite showing no signs of injury.
The PCB spokesperson had confirmed that the right-arm pacer will be available for the remainder of the first Test against England.
However, PCB officials today said a grade-II strain in right quad has ruled Haris Rauf out of the Test series against England. After making his Test debut on the lifeless wicket of Rawalpindi, the right-arm speedster injured himself, while stepping on the ball leading to an injury to his right quad.
MM News has learnt that the fast bowler underwent an MRI and the scans and the subsequent assessment by the PCB medical panel further concluded that the fast bowler suffered a grade-II strain. Haris will travel to Lahore where he will begin his rehabilitation at the National High Performance Centre and will not take any part in the remainder of the series.
As of now, Pakistan are in a fix, and could call upon the all-rounder Mohammad Wasim Jr, to make his Test debut. If not, the Men in Green could even look at the likes of Hasan Ali and Mohammad Abbas, two veterans to bolster the pace bowling unit. Pakistan’s bowling will be under severe criticism, especially with the way leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood performed in the first innings.
Questions are already raised over Mahmood’s inclusion, with the likes of Yasir Shah not even picked in the squad. Pakistan trail the series 0-1, and are in danger of losing back-to-back series in Multan, where they would now need a miracle.
