Pakistan vs New Zealand 2018: Mohammad Abbas Ruled Out of Third Test Due to Shoulder Injury

Pakistan premier fast bowler Mohammad Abbas has been ruled out of the third and final Test match against New Zealand. The right-hander has suffered a shoulder injury while fielding in the second Test match. The series is levelled at 1-1 after Pakistan won the second Test match by an innings and 16 runs.

Meanwhile, this is a big blow TO the host team as Mohammad Abbas has been a consistent performer for them. However, Abbas hasn’t been at his best in the unfavourable conditions as he has scalped two wickets in the first two Test matches. In fact, Abbas can also miss Pakistan’s next month tour of South Africa if the scans show wear and tear.

Big blow for Pakistan.

In fact, Mohammad Abbas was at his best against Australia in the two-Test match series which Pakistan won by 1-0. Subsequently, Abbas was able to occupy the third rank in the ICC Test rankings.

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On the other hand, Yasir Shah was the chief destroyer of the New Zealand team in the second match. The leg-spinner scalped eight wickets in the first innings to bundle out the visitors for only 90 runs in the first innings. The leggie continued his form in the second innings as he snared six wickets in the second dig.

Therefore, Yasir Shah took 14 wickets in the match to help Pakistan draw level in the three-match series. In fact, Yasir Shah has taken a total of 22 wickets in the series thus far. The hosts had lost the first Test, which was a white-knuckle by only four runs.

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The third Test match will take place at Abu Dhabi from December 3, which is going to be the series decider. Hence, both teams will like to come up with their best. Pakistan had won the T20I series by 3-0 whereas the ODI series ended in a stalemate.