Speedster Hasan Ali out of home Test series after fracturing ribs

• Fresh CT scans revealed cortical rib fractures, involving ninth rib on the right side and eighth and ninth ribs on the left side, says PCB.
• Sri Lanka is set to play a two match Test cricket in Pakistan in December.

Fast bowler Hasan Ali has been ruled out of home Tests against Sri Lanka scheduled to be held in December, after sustaining rib fractures.

“Fresh CT scans revealed cortical rib fractures, involving ninth rib on the right side and eighth and ninth ribs on the left side,” PCB said in a statement. The fractures will require up to six weeks healing and he will start a rehabilitation process at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) from Monday.

Hasan, after passing fitness tests, had rejoined Central Punjab for their ninth round Quaid-e-Azam Trophy fixture against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 22 November. However, prior to the match, he complained of pain on his left side for which he underwent precautionary scans in Karachi that revealed fractures, which were confirmed in the follow-up scans that were carried out in Lahore.

Sri Lanka is set to play Test cricket in Pakistan, which will be the first five-day outing in Pakistan, after the infamous Sri Lankan team attack in 2009 which closed doors of international cricket in the country.

The Test series kicks off on December 11 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The two sides will then head to Karachi for the second game from December 19 at the National Stadium.

Sri Lanka recently toured Pakistan for three T20Is and the same number of ODIs in Lahore and Karachi respectively.