Senior leg-spinner Yasir Shah will undergo fitness test this weekend in Lahore ahead of the tour to Zimbabwe, starting June 28.
Some apprehensions, though, still remain whether the tour will take place. The ongoing dispute on salary and match fee issue between the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) and players doesn’t affect the Pakistan Cricket Board with their preparations and selection procedure.
A fitness test will be commencing on June 23 in Lahore and the team would be leaving for Harare on the June 28, a Board official said.
Head coach Mickey Arthur and the team physiotherapist will be supervising the fitness test for Shah, Emmad Wasim, pacer Rumman Raees and Babar Azam.
Shah missed the Test tour of Ireland and England to a hip injury while Azam suffered a fracture in his arm while batting in the first Test at Lord’s last month. Even Emmad and Rumman have been on the injury list for a few months now.
Chief selector, Inzamam -ul-Haq and Arthur will also sit down with Board officials in the coming weekend to finalise the list of players who will be given fresh central contracts from July 1.
According to details, they are recommending the board to reduce the list of players from 35 to 25 and increase their monthly salary.
Experienced all-rounder, Muhammad Hafeez, who was recently cleared to bowl again in international cricket is likely to be retained in the new list of contracts although he has been out of favour with the selectors and Arthur for a while now.
With inputs from PTI