LAHORE - Pakistan paceman M Irfan has been advised to take six weeks' rest after fracturing his hip, officials said Wednesday, making him doubtful for the series against Sri Lanka starting later this month.
The 7ft one inch Irfan -- the tallest man ever to play international cricket -- fell during the second Twenty20 international against South Africa in Dubai on November 15. Pakistan Cricket Board director Intikhab Alam said Irfan will need at least six weeks to recover. "Irfan was perfectly all right when he played that game but unfortunately he fell on his hip bone and MRI scans showed it's a fracture," Alam told reporters on the sidelines of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka series launch. Irfan, 31, was not named in Pakistan's Twenty20 squad which will play a one-off match against Afghanistan in Sharjah on Sunday -- the first-ever T20 between the two countries -- followed by two games against Sri Lanka on December 11 and 13.
That will be followed by five one-day games between December 18-27 while the three-match Test series starts from December 31. The squads for one-dayers and Tests will be named later. Former Pakistan players have accused the team management of overworking Irfan -- he played two Tests, five one-dayers and two Twenty20s against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates between October 14 and November 15. He bowled 117 overs in the nine matches, taking 16 wickets, before breaking down in the last game.