Pak vs Eng: Mohammad Abbas likely to play in place of injured Haris Rauf

Right-arm pacer Haris Rauf has been ruled out of the rest of the Test series against England after suffering a grade-II strain in his right quad, with fast-bowler Mohammad Abbas likely to play in his place, according to sources.

Rauf underwent an MRI during the first day’s play of the Rawalpindi Test after he rolled over the ball while fielding.

The scans and subsequent assessment by the Pakistan Cricket Boad (PCB) medical staff concluded that the fast bowler suffered a grade-II strain, the board said in a statement.

Haris will soon travel to Lahore for rehabilitation at the National High-Performance Centre, the PCB shared.

On Monday, England beat Pakistan in the first of the three Tests by 74 runs. The second Test will be played in Multan from 9-13 December, while the third in Karachi from 17-21 December.

The pacer's unavailability will add to Pakistan's woes in the remaining two matches as star bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi had already been ruled out of the series due to fitness issues, leaving the bowling attack vulnerable.

Ramiz Raja meets the boys

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja met with the national Test team and raised their morale after the loss in Rawalpindi.

The England team cannot catch up with us on our home soil if we play to our potential, Raja said.

The PCB chair told the team to maintain a winning attitude and win the upcoming Multan Test.

Raja inquired after Haris about the state of his injury, to which he said that the doctors suggested he rest for two weeks to recover.

England's memorable victory in the first Test

England pulled off a stunning 74-run victory over Pakistan in the first Test on Monday, claiming the final wicket in rapidly fading light to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The visitors amassed 657 in their first innings and declared their second on 264-7, setting Pakistan an improbable victory target of 343 on a docile track in Rawalpindi.

Pakistan fought gamely and reached 268 before being dismissed in an absorbing final session, Saud Shakeel top-scoring for the hosts with 76.

Mohammad Rizwan made 46 and Azhar Ali scored 40 with an injured finger but they could only delay the inevitable.

Pakistan's last pair of Naseem Shah and Mohammad Ali resisted for nearly nine overs before the former fell lbw to Jack Leach barely 10 minutes before the scheduled end of the play.