Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq’s finger injury has come at a terrible time for Sarfraz Ahmed after his team failed to clinch victory in the Dubai Test against Australia.

Not only did Pakistan come agonisingly close to victory in Dubai against a spirited Australian team before settling for a draw, they also lost opener Imam for the next Test in Abu Dhabi after he fractured his finger while fielding.

The 22-year-old hurt his finger while fielding on Thursday which was later revealed to be a fracture.

“Imam has fractured the fifth finger of his left hand while fielding and has been ruled out of the second Test starting in Abu Dhabi from October 16,” the Pakistan board said in a statement.

Imam scored 76 and 48 in the first Test against the Aussies, becoming one of the most consistent performers of the team in all formats this year.

However, his injury means sidelined opener Fakhar Zaman is in contention to play his maiden Test.

The left-hander was woefully out of form in the Asia Cup and didn’t earn a spot in the playing XI for the first match after being looked at as a near certainty. However, with Pakistan running thin on batting resources, Zaman can be a sensible choice at the top of the order as it would continue the left-right combination with Mohammad Hafeez.

Azhar Ali can also open the innings, but that would mean less solidity in the middle order.