Daily Times

LAHORE: Veteran Test batsman Younus Khan has been ruled out from the first Test against the West Indies. “Younus, who is recovering from dengue virus, told chief selector Inzamamul Haq that he was yet to regain full fitness,” a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said Thursday. The official further said that Younus had asked for a window of 8-10 days before he can take on the field. Pakistan are scheduled to take on the Windies in the three-Test match series, starting October 13. The first Test will be a pink-ball affair in Dubai, making Pakistan only the second board to host a day-night game. “The selectors are yet to announce the squad, but it is confirmed that Younus will not take part in the opening game in Dubai,” he added.

Last month, the 38-year-old Younus contracted a high fever that was later diagnosed as the mosquito-borne disease dengue, for which he was treated in a Karachi hospital. This forced him to miss the first round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class tournament. Doctors have advised Younus to extend his rest for another 10 days. He is expected to be available for the second Test in Abu Dhabi.

Younus last missed a Test match in May 2011 – also against West Indies, coincidentally, in St Kitts – and has since featured in 41 successive matches, scoring 3839 runs in that period, at an average of 59.06. He is now Pakistan’s leading run-getter in Tests with 9456 runs at 53.72, and in his last appearance scored 218 against England at The Oval. It is has been learnt that Babar Azam, who astonished the cricket fraternity with three consecutive centuries against the West Indies during the recently concluded three-match one-day international series, will replace the 38-year-old. The final squad for the series is to be announced on October 8. There are no major changes expected in the Test squad which toured England earlier in the summer. The second Test begins on October 21 in Abu Dhabi, and the third in Sharjah on October 30.