The diagnosis rules him out of Pakistan’s two Test matches against the West Indies later this month, as well as a tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand at home in February. It also means he is in a race against time to be fit for the Champions Trophy, which starts in Karachi in just over six weeks.
The PCB said an MRI performed on Friday “confirmed the fracture, which had been immobilized in a lunar medical boot.” Ayub will remain with the team till the end of the Test.
Ayub had to be stretchered off the field in just the seventh over of the match, when Ryan Rickelton managed a delivery through the slips, sending Ayub on a chase to third place alongside Aamer Jamal. Jamal brought it back in while Ayub was set to be the relief fielder, but lost his balance and sprained his ankle. He fell immediately and appeared in distress holding his lower leg as the physio rushed over.
Despite prolonged treatment outside the border line, Ayub was unable to put any weight on his right ankle and appeared to be crying when he was placed on a stretcher and taken out. He was later seen with crutches in the medical trunk.
In recent months, Ayub has established him as an all-format star for Pakistan, playing a crucial role in ODI series wins in Australia, Zimbabwe and here in South Africa, where two hundreds in three matches saw him named Player of the Series.
