A knee injury to the fast bowler will now keep him out of the international tournament in England and Wales.
There is bad news for Pakistan as they prepare for the last ever Champions Trophy competition as paceman Umar Gul has been ruled out for the entire tournament.
Gul picked up an injury to his right knee in an one-day international against South Africa in March and has been sidelined ever since.
It has now been decided that the bowler will not be available for the Champions Trophy as he will fly to Melbourne at the start of May for surgery.
The 29-year-old will also miss Pakistan’s games against Scotland and Ireland next month.
“PCB have contacted Dr Alexander David Young in Australia, who in his initial reports has confirmed damage to his right knee and has given a timeline of 8-12 weeks for his full recovery,” the Pakistan Cricket Board was quoted on ESPNcricinfo.
Gul is vastly experienced at one-day level for his country and will be sorely missed by the side at the tournament in England and Wales.
Following the bans of seamers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif for spot-fixing, Gul has stepped up and made himself an integral part of the side.
The bowler has played 116 ODIs for Pakistan, taking 161 wickets at an average of 28.59.
At the Twenty20 World Cup in 2007 Gul was the leading wicket-taker and he also had outstanding figures of 5-8 against New Zealand in the following tournament.
The Pakistani was a key member of the squad that toured South Africa but has failed to play any cricket since his injury at Centurion.
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