Mohammad Hafeez ruled out from the remainder of the England tour

Mohammad Hafeez has been ruled out of the three ODIs and one-off T20I against England due to a calf injury. Hafeez had complained about pain in his left calf and was later diagnosed with a minor strain. Tall fast bowler Mohammad Irfan has been called up as his replacement.

Hafeez has had a poor run on tour, scoring only 102 runs in the first three Tests before being dropped for the fourth Test at The Oval, which Pakistan won to level the series. He scored only 11 runs in the first rain-affected ODI at Southampton, where Pakistan lost.

Shahid Afridi unlikely for the lone T20I:

Meanwhile, injury has struck Shahid Afridi as well.  The former Pakistan skipper who plays only in the T20 format was supposed to play in the lone T20I against England scheduled to be played next month in Manchester. However, a troublesome knee is expected to keep him out of action.

It is believed that the sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that the national selectors were not considering all-rounder Afridi for the match on September 7 as he was carrying a knee injury.

“He has undergone a MRI scan and has been advised to undergo a rehabilitation program at the national cricket academy for the next few weeks,” the source said.

The sources further added that Afridi will have to prove his fitness and form to the selectors first before making a comeback.

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“Afridi is keen to play T20 Internationals for Pakistan as he has now focused on just this one format after his retirement from ODIs last year. But he has to prove his fitness and form to the selectors first,” the source said.

Also, it seems that Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad will have to wait a while for their chances to make a comeback. Reportedly, both the players will be considered for the forthcoming three-match T20 series against the West Indies in the UAE from September 23 to 27th.

“Even though the two have apologised to the Chairman of the board but the selectors are yet not ready to accept them back in the national team,” the source added.

“Afridi, Shehzad, and Umar will come under consideration for the West Indies series but the selectors still want more assurance that Shehzad and Umar will be on their best behaviour when they return to the team,” the source stated.

The selectors are however planning to pick uncapped allrounder Ammad Butt for the T20 match in England.