Tanvir to join Pakistan squad

Sohail Tanvir, the Pakistan left-arm fast bowler, is set to join the national squad in New Zealand after the PCB re-evaluated his fitness. Tanvir had been removed from the original squad due to a chronic knee injury and replaced with top-order batsman Asad Shafiq, but after consulting with the Australian doctor who operated on Tanvir, a team of doctors, physios and coaches have cleared him to play.

Tanvir will be available for the third Twenty20 international in Christchurch on December 30. Tanvir had undergone surgery on his left knee in March and the doctor who performed the operation told the PCB's fitness team that it would take 18 months to two years for the graft in his knee to completely settle. The team felt that playing regularly would help the process.

The team told the selection committee and Pakistan team management Tanvir could bowl and bat, but needs to avoid fielding in areas where he would have to bend quickly. Tanvir had complained of stiffness in his lower back and legs during Pakistan's training camp in Lahore ahead of the New Zealand tour.

Tanvir, 26, burst onto the international scene during the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, surprising batsmen with his awkward wrong-footed delivery, but has struggled with injuries over the past couple of years. He suffered a back injury after the World Twenty20 in 2009, and was ruled out for four months after his knee surgery this year. He has not played an international match for Pakistan since November 2009.

He earned a recall to the national squad after impressing for Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan's domestic competition, in which he has taken 33 wickets in five matches so far this season.