Pakistan’s mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed on Sunday was ruled out of the first Test match against Australia, which is set to begin in Perth on December 14, marking a severe setback for the team.

During a recent first-class game against the Prime Minister’s XI, Abrar took one wicket and bowled a total of 27 overs before leaving the field due to severe pain in his right leg around his knee and had to leave the field of play.

“During an assessment by the medical team, a provisional diagnosis was made – justifying an MRI scan, which was done on the same day,” the PCB said in a brief press release.

“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.”

While Abrar has not been ruled out of the test series yet, the team management will assess his availability before the second test to ensure his well-being for this and future tours.

“He 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.”

In the meantime, Sajid Khan, an off-spinner, has been approved by the chairman of the selection committee, Wahab Riaz, and will travel to Perth once his travel arrangements are finalised, according to the press release.

This is Pakistan’s first Test tour to Australia since 2019, which was not a pleasant experience, with a 2-0 loss in both games under Azhar Ali’s captaincy.

Additionally, Pakistan has never won a Test series in Australia in their entire history.

Australia tour schedule
1st Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 14-18: Perth Stadium

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

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

Squads

Australia: (first Test only): Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner

Pakistan: Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi