KARACHI — Pakistan's Champions Trophy challenge suffered a major blow Thursday as pace spearhead Umar Gul was ruled out with a knee injury that will keep him out of action for up to 12 weeks. The 29-year-old complained of knee trouble during last month's tour of South Africa and was sidelined after playing the first two games of the five-match one-day series. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced Gul would head to Australia for an operation next month. Gul's initial reports were sent to Australia where a specialist advised surgery and rest and gave a timeframe of 8-12 weeks for full recovery. The PCB said they hoped the operation would go ahead in Melbourne early next month. Pakistan is in Group B alongside India, the West Indies and South Africa in the Champions Trophy to be played in England from June 6-23. Defending champion Australia, Sri Lanka, England and New Zealand form Group A. Pakistan offers to host 2019 World Cup qualifiers Pakistan's cricket chief said Thursday he had offered to host qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup despite a four-year suspension of international cricket in the country over security fears. Pakistan has not staged any top-level cricket since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009, killing eight people and wounding seven visiting players. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf said he wanted the world to gauge the security situation in Pakistan. “We have requested that the World Cup qualifiers 2018 should be given to us so that everyone can evaluate the security situation,” Ashraf told reporters. The 2019 World Cup will be held in England. Ashraf claimed the ICC had given a commitment to assess the security situation when the time comes and “will decide accordingly”. Ashraf earlier acknowledged that foreign teams are reluctant to tour Pakistan. “I've talked to three, four presidents of the cricket boards, but they are reluctant when they hear the name of Pakistan especially after what Bangladesh did last year,” Ashraf told reporters. Pakistan's cricket authority Wednesday also presented the International Cricket Council (ICC) with a new constitution, after it was warned to run its board democratically in line with global standards. The ICC last year directed all 10 of its members to run their boards in a democratic way and without government interference, threatening sanctions for any board which did not meet its requirements by June 2013. Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were directly affected by the new ICC ruling as the head of the cricket board in these countries is not elected but instead nominated by the government. Pakistan will also allow disgraced former captain Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif back into domestic cricket once they serve their bans for spot-fixing, Ashraf said Thursday. On Wednesday, the Court of Arbitration for Sports rejected appeals from Butt and Asif. Aamer, who had pleaded guilty, did not appeal. — Agencies
