Haris Sohail joins Pakistan team in Birmingham

By
Syed Yahya Hussaini

BIRMINGHAM: Middle-order batsman Haris Sohail joined the Pakistan team in Birmingham on Friday, as a replacement for Umar Akmal who was withdrawn from the squad after failing fitness tests ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

Haris would be making his return to international cricket after a hiatus of two years, having been forced out by a persistent knee injury following a short but impressive stint with the team.

Haris Sohail with teammates in Birmingham, May 26, 2017

The 28-year-old played his last ODI against Zimbabwe on May 29, 2015 in Lahore. He has featured in 22 ODIs so far and scored 774 runs, with an average of 43. He also has 9 ODI wickets to his name.

Recently, he made headlines in the domestic circuit after blasting 235 runs in the five matches that he played in Pakistan Cup at Rawalpindi.

Earlier this week, the PCB announced that Umar Akmal had failed to pass the fitness tests in the pre-camp for Champions Trophy in Birmingham and had thus been withdrawn from the squad. Haris Sohail, based on his performance in the domestic cricket and the fitness reports submitted by the trainer at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, was selected to replace Akmal.