Haris Rauf ruled out of second Test against England

Pakistan already have begun the series on the backfoot, with the injury to Shaheen Shah Afridi further forcing them to look for options. One of the options was Haris Rauf, the 29-year-old speedster, who made his debut in the ongoing first Test against England. 

However, during the course of the Test, the right-arm speedster injured himself, while stepping on the ball leading to an injury to his right quad. Successively, the 29-year-old has been ruled out of the second Test in Multan against the Three Lions. Various reports suggest that Rauf won’t be available for the rest of the series. 

Pakistan are in a fix, and could call upon the all-rounder Mohammad Wasim Jr, to make his Test debut. If not, the Men in Green could even look at the likes of Hasan Ali and Mohammad Abbas, two veterans to bolster the pace bowling unit. Pakistan’s bowling will be under severe criticism, especially with the way leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood performed in the first innings. 

Questions are already raised over Mahmood’s inclusion, with the likes of Yasir Shah not even picked in the squad. Pakistan trail the series 0-1, and are in danger of losing back-to-back series in Multan, where they would now need a miracle.