NZ vs PAK | Spinner Abrar Ahmed Ruled Of Pakistan's T20I Series Against New Zealand
Abrar Ahmed has played six Tests for Pakistan [X.com]
In a massive blow for Pakistan, young leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed has been ruled out of the upcoming five-T20I series in New Zealand after being unable to regain fitness from a knee injury.
Ahmed, who was part of a 17-member squad T20I squad under Shaheen Shah Afridi's captaincy, suffered a knee injury ahead of the first Test against Australia in Perth.
As reported by CricketPakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Medical is currently evaluating Ahmed's injury, who will now return back to Pakistan after the conclusion of the Test tour of Australia, and undergo rehabilitation at National Cricket Academy in Lahore.
PCB Chief Selector Wahab Riaz has confirmed Ahmed's return back home, stating that the leg-spinner recovery process is important as he is one of Pakistan's future prospect. The PCB are yet to name a replacement for Ahmed, cutting the 17-member side to 16.
The five-T20I series commences on January 12 and will be played across four venues — Auckland, Hamilton, Dunedin, and Christchurch. Christchurch will host the fourth and the first T20I, which will take place on January 19 and 21.
The 25-year-old has a stellar start to his Test career in 2022, picking up 38 wickets in six Test, which include two five and one-ten wicket haul.
Abrar replaced the injured all-rounder Shadab Khan in the squad, who while fielding in a domestic T20 cup match between Rawalpindi and Sialkot sustained an ankle injury.
Pakistan squad: Shaheen Afridi (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Haseebullah Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan (wk), Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf and Zaman Khan
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