Pakistan paceman Haris Rauf ruled out of the last two Tests against England

The Pakistan cricket team has suffered a significant blow ahead of the second Test against England, with Haris Rauf ruled out of the three-match series. The 28-year-old sustained a grade II strain in his right quad.

Rauf underwent an MRI scan during the first day's play of the opening Test in Rawalpindi after he rolled over the ball while fielding. The scans and subsequent assessment by PCB's medical staff concluded that the paceman had suffered a grade-II strain.

Rauf will travel to Lahore, where he will undergo rehabilitation at the National Performance Centre. The Melbourne Stars pacer, who made his Test debut in Rawalpindi due to Shaheen Shah Afridi's absence, bowled only in the first innings. He registered underwhelming figures of 13-1-78-1 as England picked the bones out of Pakistan's bowling attack.

Pakistan succumb to a 74-run loss as brave England take 1-0 lead

England cricket team. (Image Credits: Getty)

Babar Azam and Co. conceded an early series lead as they failed to chase 343 in the fourth innings of the first Test in Rawalpindi. England had put themselves in pole position on the opening day itself, clobbering a record-breaking 506-4, with four batters making centuries.

The tourists maintained a scoring rate of 6.50 in the first innings to hammer 657, while visiting captain Ben Stokes made a bold declaration on day four, intending to win the Test. While the hosts remained in contention for the most part, their batting unit collapsed in the final hour of day five.

From 259-5, the home side crashed to 268 all out to send England into jubilation. The loss also meant that Pakistan's chances of making it to the World Test Championship (WTC) final remained in jeopardy. They will be looking to make a strong comeback in the next Test in Multan, starting on December 9.

The focus will also be on captain Babar Azam after he copped criticism for failing with the bat in the second innings in Rawalpindi.