10 April 2004	Saturday	19 Safar 1425

LAHORE, April 9: Pakistan received another setback when Lahore Test Man-of-the-Match, pacer Umar Gul, was ruled out of the third and final Test against India due to injury. The crucial third Test starts at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Umar, who played a key role in Pakistan's nine-wicket win in the second Test at Lahore to square the three match series 1-1, has back problems, and is not available, said a spokesman for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The lanky medium pacer had to leave the field during the first innings due to cramps in the second Test after he destroyed the Indian batting top-order, reducing them in the first innings to 147-7 with a haul of five for 31.

He also bowled 13 overs in the second innings for the figures of one for 65 but visibily bothered by the injury. With Umar and Shabbir being unavailable Pakistan selectors have named Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Fazle Akbar, Abdul Rauf and Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan in the squad.

The committee has however, given the list of 17 probables, who will be available to the team management which will reduce it to 15 by Sunday. A final team will be picked later from the 15 players.

Umar's injury is a further blow to Pakistan as allrounder Abdul Razzaq, paceman Shabbir Ahmed and wicketkeeper Moin Khan are already on the injured list. The trio missed the second Test.

Probables: Inzamamul Haq (captain), Taufeeq Umar, Imran Nazir, Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Yousuf Youhana, Asim Kamal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper), Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Danish Kaneria, Shoib Malik, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Fazle Akbar, Abdul Rauf and Rana Naveed-ul-Hassan.

Naveed and Iftikhar were part of the Pakistan team which played ODIs series against India. Naveed was dropped after playing the first ODI at Karachi while Iftikhar failed to get any chance in any of the five matches. Iftikhar, Fazle and Rauf have been performing well in domestic cricket.