Noman Ali ruled out of Australia Tests after undergoing surgery for acute appendicitis

Pakistan spinner Noman Ali will not be available for the remaining two Tests against Australia after he underwent surgery to remove his appendix ahead of the Boxing Day Test.

The veteran bowler was already dealing with a finger injury that kept him out of the series opener in Perth. He was arguably in contention for the second Test, especially with Abrar Ahmed recovering from an injury. But Noman was hospitalized on Friday evening after complaining of severe abdominal pain.

After scans confirmed the case of acute appendicitis, the surgery on Noman was conducted on Saturday morning.

“Post-surgery he is stable and doing fine. He will be discharged later this afternoon,” Pakistan Cricket confirmed in a statement.

Noman Ali has been among the first-choice spinners for Pakistan in red-ball cricket ever since making his debut in 2021 as a 34-year-old. The left-arm spinner claimed seven wickets on his maiden appearance and also took seven wickets in his last game against Sri Lanka away from home.

Pakistan had flown in spinner Sajid Khan as an emergency replacement before the first Test itself. It remains to be seen whether the Pakistan Cricket Board ( PCB) opt to make further additions.

Salman Ali Agha is another spin-bowling option in the side, although only as a part-timer. The all-rounder bowled 40 overs in Perth but ended up wicketless.

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Noman Ali's unavailability worsens Pakistan's injury crisis on the tour of Australia

Pakistan are dealing with a major issue in terms of casualties on the tour so far. They were already without pacer Naseem Shah to begin with, as he is still recovering from a shoulder injury that he sustained during the Asia Cup.

Abrar Ahmed suffered an injury as well during Pakistan's warm-up fixture against the Prime Minister's XI. Khurram Shahzad, who made a promising debut for his national side in Perth, has also been ruled out of the series following discomfort to his left side.

Pakistan lost the first Test by a heavy margin, and are still in search of their first win on Australian soil since 1995. The Men in Green will lose the series if they suffer defeat in the upcoming Boxing Day Test, scheduled to begin on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).