Abbas says Masood 'looked very good' in training ahead of first England Test

LEEDS: Experienced Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas sounded upbeat as he provided an update on top-order batter Shan Masood with just a day remaining before the commencement of their three-match away Test series against England.

Masood, who was replaced by star batter Babar Azam as Pakistan Test captain last month, made a flamboyant start to the recently concluded two-match away series against West Indies as he registered a gutsy century in the first innings of the opening fixture in Tarouba.

During his monumental knock, Masood sustained a blow to his left hand's index finger on the third day of the series opener after being struck by a delivery from West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales.

Consequently, Masood did not bat at his usual position in the second innings, and following the conclusion of the first Test, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had revealed that the 36-year-old suffered a fracture to his left hand's index finger and thus was ruled out of the remainder of the series against West Indies.

The PCB had also confirmed that the left-handed batter will remain with the squad during his rehabilitation, while his availability for the first Test against England, scheduled to be played from August 19 to 23, will depend on his recovery and clinical progress.

Later, Masood took part in the Green Shirts' first training session at the Kent County Cricket Club in Beckenham last week and also practised batting under the supervision of its medical team.

"Injured batter Shan Masood also took part in the practice session. Under the supervision of the medical team, he carried out batting practice," the PCB had shared.

Masood, however, did not take part in Pakistan's three-day tour match against the Professional County Club (PCC) Select XI in Beckenham but batted for a longer period in the nets during their first training session here at Headingley earlier today and experienced seamer Abbas revealed that he looked good before insisting that they would "rely" on the medical advice regarding his participation in the series opener.

"With Shan, too, we're just going to rely on the medical advice. Shan practised for the whole session and looked very good," Abbas told reporters during a press conference here.