Mohammad Rizwan-led Pakistan are currently preparing for the upcoming Champions Trophy which is scheduled to start from February 19. Pakistan opener Saim Ayub who got injured during the second Test match against South Africa in Cape Town will likely to take over six weeks to heal and his participation in the ICC tournament is doubtful at the moment, according to a report in PTI.
PCB flew Ayub to London from Cape Town to consult specialists after chairman Mohsin Naqvi declared him an asset to Pakistan's cricket. The star opener is Pakistan's most consistent scorer in the 50-over format the side will miss him immensely if he fails to recover before the Champions Trophy.
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"Dr Jeyasaleen has advised Saim to not rush back to playing cricket as this could cause permanent trauma to his ankle injury," a reliable Pakistan Cricket Board told PTI.
Ayub has gone another check-up with a second notable orthopaedic in London on Friday and after his checkup, the national selectors will take a call on his inclusion in the team for the tournament.
"The selectors want him in the preliminary squad so that they can see how his recovery progresses by the time they have to submit the final 15-member squad to the tournament technical committee," the source said.
The source admitted that by the look of things Ayub can miss the tournament and may need more time for his ankle to heal.
The upcoming Champions Trophy will take place in Pakistan and Dubai where hosts Pakistan will play the tournament's opener clash against New Zealand at National Stadium in Karachi on February 19. After that Pakistan will lock horns against arch-rivals India for the high-voltage clash of the marquee event which will take place in Dubai Stadium on February 23.