The first Test of the three match series between Pakistan and England gets underway in Abu Dhabi at 7am tomorrow UK time, and both sides have been hit by late injury blows.
While Steven Finn, who took four wickets in the recent warm-up fixture against Pakistan A, is unavailable for selection with a foot injury, Pakistan have been rocked by the news that their star leg-spinner Yasir Shah is struggling with back spasms.
England’s spin attack will feature Test debutant Adil Rashid alongside Moeen Ali, who captain Alastair Cook today confirmed will open the batting at the expense of Nottinghamshire’s Alex Hales.
Such selection luxuries, however, are proving elusive for Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq who - with number three batsman Azhar Ali already ruled out with a foot complaint - is feeling the pressure in the aftermath of Yasir’s injury bombshell.
"We want to wait until tomorrow and hoping for the best," the 41-year-old said of Shah, who is the fastest Pakistani bowler in history to 50 Test wickets.
"He got a back spasm and let's see overnight. His loss could be a big blow but we are hoping that he will be a fine as he is our key player and we are very much concerned about him.
"Obviously we are looking into it,” Misbah said of a possible replacement prior to calling-up left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar as cover.
“In case if he won't recover then we need to have someone and we are working on that. Hopefully we will get someone for tomorrow morning.
"Considering the injury to Azhar Ali, now if Yasir couldn't make it, it will be a tough challenge for us. It will be hard for us to cope without him but this is exactly the same scenario, we are already playing against a top team and we knew we have to come hard so it will be more challenging."
For England, meanwhile, Durham paceman Mark Wood is the likely beneficiary of Finn’s withdrawal, with Cook hoping to welcome back the Middlesex paceman for the second Test of the series.
“It’s a bitter blow for Finny,” said the England Captain.
“He bowled really well in that warm-up game and over the last 12 months has made huge strides back to where we want him to be. So it is a big blow.
"We’ll monitor him and hopefully he’ll be all right for the Second Test but we’ll have to wait.”
Nottinghamshire batsman James Taylor, who scored 61 against Pakistan A on Friday, could still feature at the expense of Jos Buttler, with Jonny Bairstow taking the gloves, after Head Coach Trevor Bayliss refused to rule out axing the Lancashire gloveman during his post-match press conference.
Although former England captain Michael Vaughan, in his column for the Daily Telegraph, advocated a start for Samit Patel as one of three spinners, the Nottinghamshire all-rounder is likely to sit out the opening Test as cover for Ali and Rashid.
Stuart Broad, who took 13 wickets at an average of 20 during England’s previous Test Series in the UAE in 2012, is a shoo-in for the starting 11.
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