Pakistan have been dealt a huge blow as their aggressive opener Saim Ayub is unlikely to feature in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. He injured his ankle while fielding in the second Test of the two-match series against South Africa. He had to be taken off the field with support but hoping for a recovery within six weeks, the selectors were hoping to add him to Pakistan's squad for the Champions Trophy.
But the southpaw seems unlikely to feature in the showpiece event now The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) flew him to London to consult the specialist after chairman Mohsin Naqvi called him an asset to the country's cricket. Ayub consulted Dr Lucky Jeyasaleen, an orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in the treatment of sports-related ankle injuries and he has advised the cricketer to not rush back to playing.
"Dr Jeyasaleen has advised Saim to not rush back to playing cricket as this could cause permanent trauma to his ankle injury," a reliable PCB source said according to PTI while also informing that the recovery may take more than six weeks. Saim Ayub will now undergo another check-up as he will consult another Orthopaedic in London on Friday and after that, the selectors are expected to take a final call on his inclusion.
"The selectors want him in the preliminary squad so that they can see how his recovery progresses by the time they have to submit the final 15-member squad to the tournament technical committee," the source further added. With Saim Ayub being an all-format player of Pakistan, they will have to look for replacements for him across formats. Imam-ul-Haq is now likely to replace him in the Test team while Fakhar Zaman should slot back in his place in ODIs.
