Malik ruled out of third Test

BANGALORE: Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik was on Thursday ruled out of the third and final cricket Test against India because of an ankle injury which forced him to sit out of the second game in Kolkata as well.

Malik suffered an ankle sprain while playing football shortly after the defeat in the first Test at Ferozeshah Kotla ground in New Delhi and has been out of action since then.

He has been advised rest for five more days which means that stand-in captain Younis Khan will again lead Pakistan in the third Test beginning at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.

Pakistan team's Media Manager Ehsan Malik said that Malik was evaluated by a local orthopaedic doctor, who has advised to keep the ankle in a cast for five more days.

"Malik was sent to a local orthopaedic surgeon for evaluation of his injury. He cut the plaster and found that there was still pain and tenderness in the region. There was also limitation of movement. So the surgeon has advised him another five days of plaster," Ehsan Malik said.

"His ankle has been plastered again," he said adding that 'it was a grade-1 ankle sprain with a couple of ligament rupture. At that time, it felt it would heal in a week but it is taking longer.'

The media manager said other members of the team, including fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar who bowled in the second Test despite fever and chest infection, were 'absolutely fine' now.

"Everybody else is fine and healthy. Akhtar is fully fit now," he said.