Hafeez doubtful for World Cup

Veteran Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez could find himself out of this year's ICC World Cup after he underwent a follow-up surgery on his fractured thumb in Manchester earlier this week.

Hafeez, 38, has been told to rest for two weeks before he can resume any kind of training.

The problem facing the senior player is that the national team head coach Mickey Arthur has set April 14 as the deadline for the players to undergo their final fitness tests before considering for World Cup selection.

The Pakistan squad is also due to leave early for England — around April 24 — to play practice games, a five-match ODI series against England and two warm-up matches against Bangladesh and Afghanistan before the World Cup starts on May 30.

“Hafeez had to go for the second surgery as the fracture in his left thumb had not healed properly and the surgeon Mike Hayton had advised him for a follow-up procedure,” one source close to the former skipper told.

An official in the PCB said if the head coach and chief selector Inzamamul Haq wanted, they could allow Hafeez to recover completely and take his fitness test later on after the deadline for all the players.