On day three of the warm-up match against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra, Abrar went off the field after bowling 27 overs, in which he conceded 80 runs and took the wicket of Marcus Harris. He will go for the MRI scan on Saturday, and even if he is cleared of serious injury, the recovery timeline is likely to rule him out of the first Test.
Abrar, 25, has played only six Tests since making his debut against England last December. But 11 wickets in his first Test, and 38 so far, clubbed with the paucity of Pakistan’s spin-bowling stocks have made him an important player. While much of his early cricketing days were blighted by lengthy, persistent injuries, there were signs he was putting that behind him, though his current injury scare could set back some of the gains he has made.