Shadab Khan, the Pakistan wrist-spinner, has been ruled out of their tour of England with a virus, Inzamam-ul-Haq, the chief selector, said on Sunday, April 21.

Shadab is part of Pakistan’s 15-man squad for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, announced on Thursday, and how this affects him with regard to the premier tournament remains to be seen, reports the icc-cricket.com.

Inzamam said the virus was severe enough to require rest of four weeks at the least. ‘The deadline to make changes to our World Cup squad is at least another five to six weeks away,’ said Inzamam. ‘Hopefully, by that time, everything will be better, and the player can return to the squad.’

According to the Pakistan Cricket Board website, they will ‘now set-up Shadab’s appointment with specialists in England to help him fully recover before Pakistan’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 opener against the Windies on 31 May at Trent Bridge.’

Pakistan currently have Mohammad Amir and Asif Ali as back-ups to the World Cup squad. Details about Shadab’s replacement for the England series will announced in due course.

The series will comprise five one-day internationals and a one-off Twenty20 international in May, and will be crucial for the selectors to assess the players before the World Cup.