LAHORE, Feb 6: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday announced to hold a inquiry into the alarming number of injuries that have occured on the Pakistan team’s ongoing tour of South Africa.

PCB’s Director Cricket Operations, Saleem Altaf told at a press briefing on Tuesday that Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf, taking a strong notice of the injuries in South Africa, has decided to hold a thorough inquiry into the growing fitness problems of the team.

A number of key players including fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Shabbir Ahmed and all-rounder Shoaib Malik have featured on the list of injuries that have hit the tourists quite badly on the current tour.

Pacer Umar Gul and Shoaib Malik were declared unfit soon after the team landed in South Africa which drew a lot of criticism from the cricketing circles in Pakistan. While Umar Gul could only bowl three overs in the tour’s only warm-up game at Kimberley before hobbling off with an injured ankle, Shoaib Malik was ruled out of the three-Test series without even stepping onto the field for the team’s initial nets session.

Shoaib Akhtar, sent to replace Umar Gul in the Test series, could only bowl eleven overs in the first innings of the second Test before going down with a hamstring injury which forced him to return home last month.

To make matters worse, the selectors were forced by the Pakistan team management to send across a rusty, half-fit Shabbir for the ODI series where the lanky bowler immediately broke down after the Twenty20 match with a groin problem and had to be sent back.

Saleem Altaf, who recently returned from South Africa, said the chairman had taken strict notice of the fitness problems on the tour and emphasised that emergency measures would be taken to overcome the crisis in view of forthcoming March-April World Cup.

The selectors on Monday also announced to send all-rounder Azhar Mahmood and medium-pacer Rao Iftikhar Anjum to South Africa in place of Shabbir and wicket-keeper Zulqarnain. "Yes, Rao Iftikhar will be reaching South Africa on Wednesday and he will be available for the third ODI (Feb 9)," Saleem confirmed.

When asked how trainer Grant Compton and physiotherapist Daryl Lifsun declared the unfit Pakistan players as ‘absolutely fit’ for the challenging tour, Saleem shied away from giving a detailed reply and could only come up with, "I don't quite believe this.”

It is, however, a fact that all the Pakistan players were made to go through a fitness test prior to the team’s departure for South Africa on Jan 3 and it came as quite a surprise when soon after reaching South Africa, Shoaib Malik and Umar Gul were ruled out as unfit.

Commenting on the team’s performance in South Africa, Saleem said Pakistan had played well in the Test series but admitted that the start to the five-match ODI series was not a good one. “But still, four matches are remaining and the team has the potential to bounce back,” he added.

About Pakistan team’s doping tests for the World Cup, Saleem said that 20 players among the Cup probables will undergo the tests on Feb 16, soon after the team’s arrival from South Africa. He also hoped that a final team for the World Cup would be announced on Feb 13.

Asked if the PCB would be facing any embarrassment in case any of the selected players tested positive before the mega event, Saleem assured that it will not pose a big problem for the board and the PCB will make the changes accordingly in the squad.

He said a six-day training camp would be held before the World Cup squad leaves for the West Indies on March 1.

Asked to comment on the new PCB Constitution, Saleem expressed his ignorance about its status and said he was not aware about the federal law department’s reply to the board.

"This is my first day (Tuesday) in office after attending the ICC meeting in Singapore and spending time in South Africa. I don't know if any development has been made in the case of PCB constitution," he said.

"I only read a news item regarding the Constitution recently but I have no further information to share with the press on that."

Saleem disclosed that the ICC has finally decided that the ground umpires would get assistance from the microphones to be fitted around the stumps for recording any snicks in order to reach a perfect decision.