Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team suffered a setback on Saturday as their left-arm pacer Usman Khan Shinwari will not be available to play for at least three months due to a back injury. “Usman, who impressed with a brilliant five-for against Sri Lanka in what was only his second ODI, has been advised to rest for three to five months,” said a PCB official. Usman picked up the injury after the second T20 against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi, and missed the final game of the tour — the landmark T20 in Lahore. Medical screening confirmed lumbar-bone stress in his back. He had struggled with the same injury in the early days of his career, in 2013, after debuting for Pakistan in T20 cricket. He had sustained back injuries twice before and missed a major chunk of season of 2014-15 as a result.

“He faced a similar injury in the beginning of his career which kept him out for more than one year, and that is why PCB medical panel has warned to not bring him back until he fully recovers from the career-threatening injury,” the official added.

Usman was brought into the ODI side for the Sri Lanka series after Mohammad Amir pulled out due to injury, and he made an immediate impact. His five wickets in the second game against Sri Lanka came within the space of 3.3 overs. The performance was a throwback to four years ago, at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, when he announced himself with five wickets for nine runs in 3.1 overs for Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan.

Usman will, therefore, miss the expected T20 series against West Indies which is likely to be played in Pakistan. He is also expected to miss the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) third edition starting February 2018. Usman’s injury is the latest in a string for Pakistan. Amir recently missed the ODIs against Sri Lanka before returning for the T20 series, and Ruman Raees Babar Azam and Imad Wasim are recovering from a wrist impingement, groin strain and knee injury respectively.

Published in Daily Times, November 5^th 2017.