Pakistan’s opener Abdullah Fazal has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series against the West Indies due to a back injury he acquired during training before the first match, which is scheduled to start on Saturday. The 23-year-old sustained a lower-back injury while Pakistan was practicing at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, where the first Test match is scheduled for July 29.
After Fazal had an MRI and was told to begin rehabilitation, the Pakistan Cricket Board deemed him unfit for both the West Indies series and Pakistan’s next three-match Test tour to England, which is scheduled to take place from August 19 to September 3.
Abdullah has proven to be a promising talent for Pakistan in recent months.
He has previously played in two Test matches for Pakistan, both of which were away games against Bangladesh in May. He scored 141 runs at an average of 35.25 over that period, including two half-centuries. Fazal may start the first Test after scoring 50 and 48 runs in the two innings of Pakistan’s warm-up match against the West Indies Select XI at the Queen’s Park Cricket Club. Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, expressed his feelings on Fazal’s absence.
“I hope Abdullah gets better and wish him success. I thought his talent to be really impressive. According to Azam, who was cited by the ICC, “He was very confident after his first series and his morale was very high.”
What effects does this injury have on Pakistan’s opening lineups?
Since Abdullah is out, adjustments are the top priority. After missing Pakistan’s most recent Test match against Bangladesh with Azan Awais and Fazal, it is now expected that Imam-ul-Haq will start once more. In Fazal’s place, middle-order batsman Awais Zafar makes his debut. Zafar took the place of Saud Shakeel, who was dropped off the team because of fitness issues.
The first Test match against the West Indies begins on Saturday, July 25 at Tarouba. Pakistan will start a three-match Test visit of England on August 19. Fazal’s absence at a critical juncture in his career eliminates a promising possibility from both tours.
