Pakistan today suffered another setback in their ongoing 'home' Test series against New Zealand in the UAE with in-form opener Ahmed Shehzad being ruled out of the remaining two matches due to a cheek bone fracture.
Shehzad was hit on the face on the second day of the first Test in Abu Dhabi while trying to pull a short pitched ball from Corey Anderson and CT scans revealed he had a depressed hairline fracture in his cheek bone.
Pakistan team manager Moin Khan said that Shehzad, who scored a career best 176 in the first Test, had been advised complete rest for three weeks.
"Since Shehzad had been advised not to participate in sporting activity for a minimum of three weeks, and he could take no further part in the ongoing Test match, it was considered prudent to send him back home for complete rest and recuperation," Khan said in a statement.
Pakistan has already lost pace bowlers Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz in their ongoing 'home' season in the UAE which includes series against Australia and New Zealand. Junaid and Wahab had to return home after knee injuries in the series against Australia.
Khan said the good news was that Dr Rahul Tandon, a local surgeon in Dubai, had ruled out the need for any active surgical intervention to set things right for Shehzad.
"Fortunately, he does not require active surgical intervention at present and can be managed conservatively on pain killers and muscle relaxants for a week," Khan said.
