Pakistan’s Test opener Abdullah Fazal has been ruled out of the upcoming Test series against West Indies and England due to a lower back injury.
According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the injury occurred on Thursday during a training session at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad, where the first Test match against the West Indies will be played.
After an MRI exam and a medical examination, the team’s medical panel advised him to undergo a rehabilitation process, while no decision has yet been made on a replacement player.
Abdullah Fazal, 23, made his Test debut against Bangladesh in May and scored half-centuries in both of his first two matches.
In the warm-up match against West Indies Select XI, he was not out in both the innings and scored 50 and 48 runs respectively.
In his absence, Test middle-order batsman Owais Zafar’s chances have improved, while Imam-ul-Haq is again expected to be part of the opening pair.
National captain Babar Azam wished Abdullah Fazal well and said that he is a talented and confident youngster whose absence from the team is a big loss for Pakistan.
