Pakistan opener Saim Ayub sustains ankle injury, ruled out for six weeks

Karachi, Jan 4: Pakistan’s young all-format opener, Saim Ayub, could miss next month’s ICC Champions Trophy after being ruled out of competitive cricket for six weeks because of an ankle injury that he sustained during the ongoing second Test against South Africa.

He will take no further part in the Test against the Proteas at Cape Town.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said on Saturday that MRIs and other tests were carried out on him, and the doctors have advised Saim six weeks rest.

Saim had hurt his ankle while fielding on the boundary on the first day of the second Test against South Africa on Friday.

“He has a right ankle fracture injury which will take at least six weeks to heal,” a board official said.

Saim’s fractured ankle has been put in an Ankle Medical Moon Boot as part of his rehabilitation process.

Hence, he is also certain to miss the two-test series at home against the West Indies later this month and also the tri-series with South Africa and New Zealand in February before the Champions Trophy, starting across Pakistan and Dubai from February 19.

Saim could be replaced by discarded opener Imam-ul-Haq for the Tests and Fakhar Zaman for the ODIs.

The 22-year left-hander has had a successful tour of Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa and scored three hundreds on those tours, including two in the 3-0 whitewash over South Africa in the ODI series.