Faheem pulls out of Aussie series

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board announced Sunday that Faheem Ashraf will take no further part in the series against Australia following Sunday’s ODI and will return to Pakistan on Monday.

The decision has been made by the national selection committee in consultation with the team management, and is consistent to their policy of giving sufficient rest to their frontline players ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, which will be played in England and Wales from May 30 to July 14.

Faheem, who scored 28 and took one for 50 in the series opener in Sharjah on Friday, has played a Test, eight ODIs and eight T20I since September 2018.

In the lead up to their World Cup opener against the Windies on 31 May at Trent Bridge, Pakistan has a series against England comprising a T20I and five ODIs. In the build up to the series against England, Pakistan will also play three warm-up matches against Kent (27 April), Northamptonshire (29 April) and Leicestershire (1 May), while two World Cup warm-up matches against Afghanistan (24 May in Bristol) and Bangladesh (26 May in Cardiff) have also been scheduled for Pakistan.

It has also been decided no replacement will be sought for Faheem as the team already includes five fast bowlers in Mohammad Amir, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain and Usman Shinwari.

The remaining three ODIs of the series will be played in Abu Dhabi and Dubai on 27, 29 and 31 March, respectively.