Shabbir Ahmed ruled out for six weeks

Pakistan received a setback to their chances at the Champions Trophy, with Shabbir Ahmed being ruled out for six weeks because of a knee injury. A few days ago, Umar Gul was ruled out for a year, because of spinal stress fractures. This still leaves Pakistan with Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami fit, but the awesome pace quartet these men had promised to form is, for now, reduced to a promising duo.

Shabbir has a cartilage tear in his knee that, according to the Pakistan Cricket Board, will take at least six weeks to heal. He is being replaced in the squad by Azhar Mahmood, the mercurial allrounder who is currently playing county cricket for Surrey, and is therefore already acclimatised to the conditions in England.