Mohammad Hafeez highly unlikely for England tour due to knee injury

It seems that the Pakistan team will have to tour England without one of its main batsmen as all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez looks highly unlikely to recover in time from his knee injury.

Despite the injury, Hafeez toured India for the World T20 where his knee problem aggravated further and he was forced to leave his team midway in the tournament, missing crucial encounters against New Zealand and Australia.

The Pakistanis will take off to England next month, where the pre-Test series camp has been scheduled for the national team.

According to the Dawn, the 35-year-old’s medical report described his condition as unsatisfactory, but the Pakistan Cricket Board ( PCB) are planning to take the final decision over his selection next week following his fitness test. He has went through three scans since picking up the injury.

Despite undergoing treatment under the supervision of Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) medical panel for more than two months, the pain in Hafeez’s right knee is yet to subside. He is reportedly suffering from bone edema and muscular pain, which is generally caused by wear and tear in and around the knee.

Hafeez was given guidelines by the panel to ensure quick recovery from the injury, however, the progress hasn’t been very encouraging.

Earlier, Hafeez was named in the 21-member list announced by chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq for the skill camp.

Pakistan will tour England for a four-match Test series and a five-match ODI series, starting from July 14 at Lord’s.

Hafeez had a rewarding time in the Test format last year, scoring 710 runs at an average of 59.16. The senior cricketer kicked off 2015 with a match-winning century in the second innings of the Test match against England last November held in Sharjah, UAE. The innings was regarded as his best innings in the 47-match Test career.