Younis Khan misses Final Test

Younis Khan will miss the final test against England starting tomorrow following the death of his brother in Ukraine over the weekend.

With Shahid Afridi also missing the test following his ban, this is a big loss to the Pakistan team in losing another experienced member of the squad.

Pakistan coach, Bob Woolmer had the following to say on who is likely to come into the starting eleven to fill their spots. “Younis is a regular at number three and his absence has affected the balance. We may now bring in Asim Kamal at number three and Hasan Raza in place of Shahid Afridi at number six.”

In the bowling department, the Pakistan selectors are considering dropping Mohammad Sami for Mohammad Asif who took 10 wickets in a warm-up match prior to the test series. Sami has struggled with the ball in the first two tests in averaging 44.

England are also forced into making a change with Andrew Strauss returning home to attend the birth of his first child, while Shaun Udal is likely to be replaced by James Anderson on a Lahore pitch that is likely to suit the seam bowlers.