Pak vs Aus: Pakistan were dealt a major blow on Sunday when pace bowler Hasan Ali and all-rounder Faheem Ashraf were ruled out from the opening Test against Australia due to injuries.

Hasan has a muscular strain, while Ashraf has a hamstring injury, and both will miss the Test, which begins on Friday in Rawalpindi.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that Iftikhar Ahmed, a spinning allrounder, and Mohammad Wasim Junior, a fast bowler, will replace the injured pair.

“Both Iftikhar and Wasim (chosen due to their all-round ability) will reach Islamabad tonight and start their three-day isolation at the team hotel,” said a PCB release.

After undergoing covid testing, the two will join the rest of the squad.

In the last 12 months, Hasan, along with Shaheen Shah Afridi, has been anchoring Pakistan’s bowling attack.

In February, he took a ten-wicket haul in Rawalpindi against South Africa, followed by nine wickets in Harare against Zimbabwe two months later.

He concluded the year with 41 wickets in eight Tests, second only to Ravi Ashwin (54) of India and Shaheen of Pakistan (47).

Ashraf has been a standout with the bat and the ball, allowing Pakistan to field two spinners in each match.

The PCB believed Hasan and Ashraf would regain fitness in time for the second Test, which begins on March 12 in Karachi.

Pak vs Aus third and final Test begins on March 21 in Lahore.

The third and final Test begins on March 21 in Lahore.

Pakistan’s first-ever Test squad has been revised

Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Zahid Mahmood.

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