Abrar Ahmed joins growing list of injured players ahead of the Australian Test series

Pakistan faces a mounting crisis as off-spinner Abrar Ahmed becomes the latest casualty, ruled out of the upcoming Australia Test series.

The injury challenges for Pakistan took a turn for the worse on Sunday as off-spinner Abrar Ahmed became the third player in as many days to be ruled out of the second Test against Australia. Ahmed, who had missed the previous 360-run defeat in Perth due to leg discomfort, has shown improvement but hasn't sufficiently recovered to participate in the upcoming Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. The Pakistan Cricket Board stated, "Considering the nature of the injury and the workload required from a spinner in a Test match, Abrar is not yet ready and will therefore not be available for the second Test."

A preliminary fitness test on December 25 will determine his potential return-to-play date. This setback comes after spinner Noman Ali's hospitalisation due to acute appendicitis, ruling him out for the remainder of the three-match series. Mohammad Nawaz has been enlisted as a replacement, according to the PCB. Additionally, pace bowler Khurram Shahzad, who impressed on his debut in Perth, is another casualty, sidelined for the last two Tests with a stress fracture in the ribs and an abdominal muscle tear.