Haris Rauf was in contention to make his Test debut in Rawalpindi after Hasan Ali and allrounder Faheem Ashraf were ruled out of the first Test against Australia due to injury concerns.
Pakistan suffer Covid blow as pacer Haris Rauf tests positive ahead of Australia Tests (AFP Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Haris Rauf in isolaion after testing Covid-19 positive
- Ruaf was in contention to make his Test debut for Pakistan
- Pakistan take on Australia in the 1st of a 3-Test series in Rawalpindi
Pakistan suffered a big setback on Tuesday ahead of their historic Test series against Australia as fast bowler Haris Rauf tested positive for Covid-19. The Pakistan Cricket Board said that Rauf is in isolation on Tuesday even as the rest of the team began training in Rawalpindi, which will host the first of the three Tests from Friday, March 4.
Rauf was in contention to make his Test debut in his Rawalpindi hometown after fast bowler Hasan Ali and allrounder Faheem Ashraf were ruled out of the first Test due to injuries they picked up in the Pakistan Super League last week.
In his absence, one of the reserve fast bowlers, Mohammad Abbas and Naseem Shah, was in contention to face Australia alongside Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Wasim.
Pakistan and Australia began training at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium for what promises to be a hard-fought contest. It’s Australia’s first Test series in Pakistan since 1998 and is being played surrounded by tight security.
The second Test will be in Karachi from March 12-16 and the third in Lahore from March 21-25.