PAKvENG: Hasan Ali likely to replace Haris Rauf

Pakistan are expected to call up fast bowler Hasan Ali to the Test team to replace Haris Rauf, who is ruled out for the rest of the England series due to a quad injury.

Rauf suffered a grade two quad injury in Rawalpindi while fielding during England's opening innings in the first Test.

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Only one other fast bowler, Mohammad Wasim Jr., is still on the roster and has yet to make his debut in Test. The team management is cautious about selecting another inexperienced player after England crushed Pakistan's young bowling lineup in the first game.

After serving as Pakistan's backbone in both the Test and limited overs squads until recently, Hasan Ali fits in the team perfectly.

After a string of bad performances, he was dropped from the team. His 14 wickets for Southern Punjab in the recently concluded Quaid-e-Azam tournament, with an average cost of 40 runs each, are equally underwhelming.

Coupled with Pakistan's harsh condition for seamers, Hasan may not be the magic bullet Pakistan needs to turn the tide against England.

However, he has the experience of 21 Test matches, can work wonders on a seaming pitch, and can swing the bat when necessary, all of which could benefit Pakistan.

Mohammad Abbas is still an option, but after Mohammad Ali conceded 188 runs, Pakistan is unlikely to utilize a medium pacer on batting-friendly pitches.

The second Test between the two teams will commence on Friday, December 9, in Multan.