Youhana out of action with leg injury: Council moot on April 2

Pakistan's injury-list grew to an alarming proposition when Yousuf Youhana's leg was put in plaster which ruled him out of next month's Sharjah Cup.

The director of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Brig Munawwar Rana said from Lahore that the prolific middle-order batsman sustained the injury during the fag end of the Hamilton Test.

"I don't have complete information as to what is the extent of injury or how he got injured. But what is certain is that his leg is in plaster and he is out of action for four to five weeks," Rana said.

Pakistan lost Saeed Anwar, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Azhar Mahmood and Abdur Razzaq for the three-Test series while Inzamam-ul-Haq missed the first Test at Auckland because of groin injury.

The casualty list further increased when skipper Moin Khan and speed sensation Mohammad Sami were ruled out for Hamilton Test which Pakistan lost by a record margin in just 189-over match.

Rana said while Youhana and Moin will not be considered for Sharjah while injuries to Azhar Mahmood and Abdur Razzaq make them doubtful for April 8 to 20 tri-nation tournament.

"We have our fingers crossed. The feed back from the specialists regarding the two are not very encouraging but we are hoping that they come through.

"As regards Saeed, he is under under the care of a team of specialists. We expect to hear about his fitness hopefully in the next couple of days.

"Same is the situation with Wasim Akram who has returned from Manchester and has started training," the PCB official said.

The PCB director admitted that the advisory council meeting will be held at the cricket headquarters in Lahore on April 2.

"The main item on the agenda is the appointment of captain because Moin is injured. Since Inzamam-ul- Haq has been the vice-captain, he is naturally the front runner. But the final decision will be taken by the council.

"If the selectors submitted the team for the Sharjah tournament, it will also come up for debate."

He refused to comment when asked if Javed Miandad's tenure will also come up for discussion. Commenting on New Zealand's acceptance to replace India in the Sharjah Cup, the PCB official admitted that though the traditional rivalry would not be there, the tournament still held its own importance.

Pakistan have won two out of their last seven matches against Sri Lanka. Both their victories came in the Asia Cup while Sri Lanka won three matches in Pakistan last March and then at home in May in the tri-nation series that also involved South Africa.