Pakistan suffered Afridi scare before Australia series

Karachi:

Barely a week before the start of the Test series against Australia on the English soil, Pakistan suffered an injury scare when newly-appointed captain Shahid Afridi picked up a side strain during his side three-day practice match against Kent.

Afridi went off the ground on the second day of match against Kent at Canterbury yesterday, clutching his back because of a side strain.

Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed said that although the injury does not look serious, precautionary scans had been done to know the exact cause of the back problem.

"Off course, it does not appear to be anything serious but we just want to be sure, but he had proper practice with the boys in the morning and is keen on his cricket and forthcoming matches," Yawar said.

However, Afridi, who is scheduled to make a return to five-day cricket on July 13 in the first Test against Australia at Lords for the first time since 2006, did not take the field on the final day of the tour match on Wednesday.

Afridi is one of the few remaining senior most players in the touring side after the selectors ignored former captain Younis Khan, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami and Faisal Iqbal for the series while another ex-skipper Mohammad Yousuf has retired from international cricket.

After the match against Kent, Pakistan also play Essex and Northamptonshire before playing Australia in two T20 Internationals on July 5 and 6 in Birmingham.