Pakistan’s Injury Crisis: Rizwan, Saud Out, Players Heading to the USA

Pakistan depart for the West Indies on July 13. Two of their most important Test players may not be on the flight.

This is Pakistan’s Test summer on paper: two Tests in the West Indies from July 25, then a three-Test series in England beginning August 19. The two most experienced players in the batting lineup cannot currently hold a bat without pain.

Who Is Injured and What We Know

Final calls on Saud and Rizwan come after medical reviews between July 4 and 5.

South Africa vs New Zealand Heading Into the Semi-Final

Who Came In as Cover

PCB called three players into the red-ball camp as cover for the injured duo.

Abdullah Shafique — top-order batter, 27, experienced Test player with 30 caps and a debut century. His return to the camp is straightforward on merit.

Kamran Ghulam — right-handed batter, 29, played one Test in 2022 and scored 73 on debut against Australia, then disappeared from selection. Back in the camp now, which raises the question fans have been asking: where was he for the last four years? The Cricinfo report notes he is one of several players PCB wants to expose to different environments and methods. His recall highlights the chaotic pattern in Pakistan’s selection that critics have pointed to repeatedly.

Hamza Nazar — uncapped first-class batter, youngest of the three additions. His inclusion is a developmental call rather than a direct replacement for Saud.

Pakistan to the USA: What Hesson Actually Said

White-ball coach Mike Hesson confirmed to Cricinfo that a group of Pakistan players will be sent to the United States for an extended programme, likely around four months. The plan is not finalised and specific players have not been announced.

“We’re sending some players to the US. There’s some power-hitting expertise over there, and we’re exploring some options. We’ve got some players who’ve had some longer-term injuries, and players we want to expose to different methods of power hitting and just a different learning environment, spending four months in one place to get some new fresh ideas.”

Two things stand out from that statement.

First, this is not purely a fitness programme. Hesson named power-hitting specifically. Pakistan’s batting strike rates in T20Is have been a recurring concern, and no domestic programme has addressed it. The logic behind going to the US is that different coaches, different training culture, and no domestic cricket obligations for four months creates conditions Pakistan’s NCA cannot replicate at home.

Second, it connects directly to Dr Javed Mughal’s appointment as Director of Sports and Exercise Medicine at PCB. Mughal, a UK-based physiotherapist who described fitness as “non-negotiable” at last week’s PCB press conference, is working alongside Hesson on this programme. It is not a standalone trip. It is the first visible output of the medical and performance overhaul PCB has been describing in press conferences.

“It’s certainly not just strength and conditioning,” Hesson added. “We’ve got Javed Mughal who’s come in here and changing the way players are training and assessing them in a different way.”

The WTC Context Makes This Urgent

Pakistan sit eighth in the World Test Championship standings at 8.33 percentage points. Only West Indies are below them at 4.17.

The two-Test series in the Caribbean and the three-Test series in England are not just preparation matches. They are WTC points that Pakistan need to stay in any realistic conversation about the 2027 final.

Going into those matches without Saud Shakeel and potentially without Rizwan removes two of Pakistan’s most reliable Test contributors.

Saud averages over 40 in Tests and has been the most consistent middle-order batter in the current cycle. Rizwan’s role in this Test squad has already been the subject of debate following his white-ball captaincy removal, but his batting output in the longer format remains significant.

The Real Question

Pakistan cricket has run long camps in June, July and August for years. Fitness problems and injuries surfacing during a red-ball camp are not automatically the camp’s fault.

The sharper question raised in social media reports, is whether players arrived at the camp already carrying undisclosed injuries that had gone unmanaged through the PSL season and the white-ball commitments that followed.

If Saud and Rizwan have been managing these injuries for weeks before the camp began, the fitness culture PCB is now publicly overhauling is the same culture that allowed them to play through pain without proper monitoring.

Dr Mughal’s appointment and the USA programme are responses to exactly that failure. The July 4-5 medical reports will tell selectors the truth. Until then, Pakistan’s Test squad for one of the most important summers in their recent history remains incomplete.

Schedule: What Pakistan Must Navigate

South Africa vs New Zealand Heading Into the Semi-Final

Four Under-19 players are part of the camp and Hesson mentioned them by name.

1. Ali Raza — 18, right-arm fast bowler, already named in Pakistan’s Asian Games 2026 squad.
2. Samir Minhas — batting prospect from the U19 setup, in camp for exposure to senior standards.
3. Farhan Yusuf — U19 all-rounder, identified for future international consideration.
4. Abdul Subhan — described by Hesson as someone he has been working with over the last month.

“It is great to expose them to the levels they need to reach,” Hesson said. “We need to give them experience and challenge them so that when they get the opportunity to play for Pakistan, they are ready.”

Hesson also confirmed the Asian Games squad is being prepared at this camp. He called it a good mix of experience and youth, with the 2028 T20 World Cup in mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Saud Shakeel fit for the West Indies Test series 2026? Saud Shakeel is managing a hand injury and was absent from the red-ball training camp in Lahore. An insider told PTI he is unlikely to be fit in time for the West Indies tour. A final decision will be made after medical reports arrive between July 4 and 5.

Why is Pakistan sending players to the USA? Pakistan white-ball coach Mike Hesson confirmed a plan to send a group of players to the United States for approximately four months to work on power-hitting in a different learning environment. The programme also covers injury rehabilitation and broader fitness development under Dr Javed Mughal, PCB’s new Director of Sports and Exercise Medicine.

Who has been called up to Pakistan’s red-ball camp as injury cover? Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam, and uncapped Hamza Nazar were added to the red-ball camp as cover for Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan.

When does Pakistan leave for the West Indies tour 2026? Pakistan are scheduled to depart for the West Indies on July 13, ahead of the first Test in Trinidad on July 25.