Imad to be given more time to get fit

LAHORE: Despite mounting speculation about Imad Wasim’s fitness over the last two days, the all-rounder appears set to go to the World Cup with Pakistan.

A chronic knee injury means he has not yet passed the fitness test that 22 probables underwent on Monday, but he will undergo one ahead of the World Cup, and Pakistan Cricket Board officials are convinced he will clear it.

The PCB did not disclose the results of the fitness tests held at the Gaddafi Stadium on Monday, but it was clear not all 22 players passed.

The case of Imad received the most intense scrutiny, especially since he had been nursing a flare-up of the knee injury that has hampered him for a while now.

Since the end of the series against Australia, Imad had been at the National Cricket Academy, working on his rehabilitation. A video circulated on social media on Tuesday showed him gingerly jogging up the steps of the Gaddafi Stadium stands with his teammates, lending credence to the fitness concerns that had been raised over the past few days.

Cricinfo understands scans reveal Imad’s knee problem does not inhibit his ability with either bat or ball, and medical staff believe the problem will clear by the time the World Cup begins at the end of May.

The coaching staff have been impressed by his work ethic in the past three weeks, and that — in addition to his reduced running ability — has earned him some time with regards to passing his fitness test.

There was initially talk he would undergo a test before April 18 — when chief selector Inzamamul Haq announces the World Cup squad — but the current status of his injury means the prospect of passing such a test is remote.