Appendicitis deals Pakistan another cruel blow

Pakistan's tour of Australia is going from bad to worse, with yet another bowling option ruled out of the rest of the series.

Spinner Noman Ali spent Friday evening in hospital with severe abdominal pain, and underwent surgery on Saturday morning after scans confirmed an acute appendicitis diagnosis.

In a statement, the Pakistan Cricket Board said the 37-year-old was "stable" and "doing fine" after a laparoscopic appendectomy, and would be discharged Saturday afternoon.

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In a photo shared from hospital, Norman is giving the camera a thumbs up.

Noman was selected for the tour as cover to Abrar Ahmed, but a finger injury meant he was also unavailable for the Perth Test after Ahmed was ruled out with his own injury, picked up against the Prime Minister's XI.

With Ahmed still unavailable, Noman was almost sure to play in Melbourne. Sajid Khan, who was flown in when Ahmed was ruled out of Perth, will likely play the specialist role.

In his 15 Tests since his debut in 2021, Noman had taken 47 wickets at an average of 33.53, with four five-wicket hauls.

He took a career best 7-70 against Sri Lanka in Columbo, as the tourists ran riot to sink the home side to an innings and 222 runs – their worst ever home loss.

The news comes only days after Khurram Shahzad – who starred on his Test debut in Perth – was also ruled out for the series with a stress fracture in a left rib, as well as an abdominal muscle tear.

In a separate statement, the PCB said Shahzad began complaining of discomfort in his left side during the first Test before scans confirmed the diagnosis.

The 24-year-old had match figures of 5-128, and claimed Steve Smith's wicket twice. He also claimed David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne.

With Naseem Shah missing the series with a shoulder injury and Haris Rauf electing to play in the BBL for the Stars instead of Tests for his country, Pakistan was already fielding a second-string pace attack.

Pakistan will take on the Aussies in the traditional Boxing Day Test at the MCG, beginning on Tuesday.