Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali was at the receiving end of a blow to send an injury scare towards his team management and fans at a crucial juncture of the ongoing first Test match against England at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
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It all happened on the third delivery of the fifth over when Ali coped a blow on his right hand after defending an Ollie Robinson delivery in not the most convincing of ways.
With Pakistan already losing opening batter Abdullah Shafique (6) in the same over, the prospect of Ali walking off the ground in spite of receiving immediate medical attention was a major source of concern for the home team in a 362-run chase.
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Pakistan’s troubles were further aggravated by captain Babar Azam (4) edging a ball from his counterpart Ben Stokes to England wicket-keeper Ollie Pope in the following over.
While Pakistan managed to not lose another wicket in the remainder of the play on Day 4, they still need 263 runs more to win the match.
Azhar Ali Injury Update
With Azam already back in the hut, Pakistan would be hoping to be in a position to make the most of Ali’s services on the final day of the match. Assuming Pakistan lose wickets early tomorrow, they would really want Ali to contribute significantly with a Test victory in sight.
For the unversed, Ali was hit on the top of his right index finger. After being under medical observation for quite a while, Ali was taken for scans after the completion of day’s play.
Although reports of these scans will chiefly throw light on the Ali’s availability on Day 5, the 37-year old player might be seen putting forward his brave side especially if it comes to his presence in the middle having it in it to win or save a Test for his team.
Historically, batters have batted with a broken/fractured finger/hand towards the business end of a Test match a lot of times.
