Haider doubtful
Zulqarnain Haider, Pakistan's highest-scoring batsman in the England series so far, is in danger of missing the remainder of the series, due a finger injury. He is scheduled to meet a finger specialist when the team reaches London on Sunday and the team management will take a call -- whether to send him back or retain him -- based on the diagnosis.
"He picked up a hairline fracture to his little finger. We don't know yet if he will stay but we will wait for to hear from the specialist," Yawar Saeed, Pakistan's manager told Cricinfo.
Haider, on the verge of earning the unwanted honour of getting a king pair on debut last week, bounced back with a resolute 88 in the second innings which injected belief into an otherwise deflated Pakistan batting. But an injury to his little finger on his right hand, which he picked at a training session during the Leeds Test against Australia, resurfaced on the eve of the warm-up match against Worcester on Thursday.
Haider complained of pain and subsequent X-rays at a local hospital in Worcester revealed a minor fracture to the bone in the finger. Back in Leeds the injury was minor and he just got the finger taped and impressed during in his debut game both with the gloves and the bat in hand.
Haider was drafted into the team on the eve of the Edgbaston Test after the Pakistan team management felt their first-choice keeper Kamran Akmal needed to rest and sort out the mistakes he was committing with regularity. Akmal was struck on his right eye during practice on Friday and was holding an ice pack but is under no threat of missing out if called.
Haider gained fair points for his technical skills behind the stumps and even if he failed to latch on to a couple of chances in the second innings, overall his keeping was more reassuring.
If Haider -- who participated in light training drills on Saturday -- is declared unfit then Kamran will return. For the moment Pakistan have their fingers crossed.
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