Pakistan suffer injury blow ahead of T20I tri-series opener

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s explosive batter Abdul Samad has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I tri-series on Monday due to an injury sustained during a fielding drill at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that Samad suffered a split-wound on the little finger of his left hand and subsequently required a medical procedure.

The injury will keep him out of action for nearly four weeks, ruling him out of the tri-series.

In response, the selectors have drafted in Hassan Nawaz as the replacement for Abdul Samad. The young batter is expected to join the squad on November 19.

Samad, 27, has featured in five T20Is for Pakistan, scoring 66 runs at a strike rate of 113.79. His last appearance in national colours came earlier this year against New Zealand in March.

Pakistan Squad for the T20I Tri-Series

Salman Ali Agha (c), Hassan Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wk), Usman Tariq.

T20I Tri-Series Schedule:

• November 18: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe
• November 20: Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe
• November 22: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka
• November 23: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe
• November 25: Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe
• November 27: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka
• November 29: Final

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