Pakistan opening batter Saim Ayub was taken off the field after suffering a painful ankle injury less than an hour into day one of the second Test match in South Africa.
In the New Year's Test between the two sides, Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bat first at Newlands in Cape Town. This match is a must-win for Pakistan in order to avoid a series defeat.
Openers Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton started confidently, making it to 27-0 in six overs. Off the second ball of the seventh over, Rickelton edged Mohammad Abbas along the ground through the slip cordon as two fielders – Aamer Jamal and Saim Ayub – chased it to the boundary.
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Jamal slid along the turf and caught up with the ball, pulling it in before it could hit the rope and tossing it up to Ayub, who was backing him up.
As he took hold of the ball, Ayub suddenly lost his footing as he slowed down and attempted to come to a stop. Tripping backwards, his body weight fell almost entirely on his right ankle, bending it at an awkward angle.
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Ayub immediately hit the turf and held his leg, looking in severe pain. Jamal, and Babar Azam, came over to attend to him before the medical staff arrived on the scene. He was then helped off the field, before his ankle was bandaged and he was taken away on a stretcher. It remains to be seen if or when he will return to action.
