Islamabad United bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf suffered an injury to his left thumb and post a medical inspection, he has been declared unfit and would not be available for at least the next three games of the United in the Pakistan Super League 2021 Abu Dhabi leg. The injury occurred while he was field at fine leg in the fifth over of the Lahore Qalandars inning at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
"Faheem suffered a laceration to the base of the left thumb. Suturing was completed in the ER, he was given antibiotics and paracetamol and discharged into our care," United physio Jason Pilgrim was quoted as saying by Espncricinfo.
Ashraf was one of the key players for the United as was shown in the very game he got injured. The right-arm bowler took the wicket of Fakhar Zaman and conceded only 31 runs in his four overs. 21 runs out of the 31 conceded came in two overs that he bowled after the injury, with five stitches on his thumb. He was also the top scorer for United with 27 from 24 balls.
As far as the importance of Faheem is concerned, he is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the league with a tally of 51 wickets. He also holds the tournament's second-best bowling figures, of 6 for 19. His batting in the death overs is as indispensable as it gets, especially in a scenario when the red lions don’t have their first choice overseas players.