Published: May 21, 2017, 11:26 PM (IST)
Edited: May 21, 2017, 11:26 PM (IST)
Pakistan suffered a jolt even before they could begin their campaign in England for the ICC Champions Trophy, as experienced batsman Umar Akmal was asked to return home after he failed in as many as two fitness tests. Akmal had made his comeback to the Pakistan side for the Champions Trophy, as he was not a part of their tour of West Indies. Pakistan are placed in Group B in the tournament to be played in England and Wales, and their opening contest will be against their arch rivals India, on June 4 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. South Africa and Sri Lanka are the other two teams in the Group B.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan informed that Umar failed two fitness tests in England. “He has failed two fitness tests during the ongoing camp there in England ahead of Champions Trophy. So since we have a policy not to carry unfit players, it has been decided to call him back and send a replacement. We have a deadline until May 25 so we are deliberating on the possible replacements,” Shahryar was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
As a replacement for Umar, Pakistan are reportedly considering calling up either of Umar Amin or Haris Sohail for the tournament. The cut-off date for naming a replacement is May 25.
Interestingly, both Amin and Sohail have not played One-Day Internationals (ODI) for at least close to one-and-a-half years. While Amin’s last ODI was in 2014, Sohail was seen in the 50-over format in 2015.
