T20 World Cup: Aggravated knee injury rules Fakhar Zaman out of South Africa clash
He has played only one match in the event so far
SYDNEY: Pakistan’s top-order batter Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of his side’s upcoming T20 World Cup match against South Africa and remains doubtful for remainder of tournament after his knee injury got aggravated.
Team’s doctor and PCB’s chief medical officer Dr. Najeeb Soomro told the media in Sydney that the player and the team management was aware of the risks of bringing him in to this tournament.
The left-hander played his first match of the T20 World Cup against Netherlands on October 30, where he scored 20 runs in 16 balls.
“We know that Fakhar had a knee injury in Asia Cup about seven weeks ago, he has been incredibly brave, resilient and has worked really hard to come back into the team. He had an extensive rehabilitation and after which he made his way back into the team,” Dr. Najeeb said.
“Obviously with any knee injury, it takes time for it to have 100 per cent recovery. Fakhar and the team understood the risks coming into the tournament and we got him into the tournament. You saw that how he performed in the last match. Unfortunately, he had a bit of twist which aggravated his injury. We have had scans on him which have shown no new injury. However, he doesn’t feel 100 per cent,” the PCB’s Chief Medical Officer said.
Dr Soomro added that Fakhar is currently in high spirits, doing well and the medical team is working with him and we are trying to see where he stands.
When asked if Fakhar was rushed prematurely to the team for the tournament, the doctor said that PCB’s medical panel was monitoring Fakhar closely and he was doing well in all tests.
“We knew the risks for his return. Obviously, he is an important player for the team, the medical staff, the player and team management were aware of that and we decided to bring him back. In any sport you take risks, sometimes the risks pay off, sometime they don’t. He was extremely brave and we worked hard to bring him back in, it is unfortunate that sometimes you have a bit of reaction to something,” he said.
Meanwhile, the spokesman of team Pakistan confirmed that Fakhar will not be available for tomorrow’s match and the team management will make a decision about his replacement in due course.
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