Hasan Ali responding well to rehabilitation sessions, may not require surgery: PCB

Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali breathed a sigh of relief after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on Monday, said that the speedster may not require surgery to recover from his back injury. Hasan Ali's history of back problems originating from 2019 coupled with severe stress on his lower back led to him being ruled out for a minimum of 6-8 months, beginning from April. However, the governing body, on Monday, confirmed that the pacer was positively responding to rehabilitation programmes which were conducted virtually and that he was expected to recover without surgery. 

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No surgery for Hasan Ali, says PCB

The Board said that Hasan last week underwent a two-hour online rehabilitation session under the supervision of Lahore-based neurosurgeon Asif Bashir, leading spinal therapist Prof. Peter O'Sullivan of Australia and the Pakistan Cricket Board medical team.

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Dr. Sohail Saleem, PCB Director  Medical and Sports Sciences, said, "These are early days of his rehabilitation programme and we will continue to monitor his progress for the next five weeks before collectively making future decisions. But one thing is for certain, he is under the treatment of the very best in the business and hopefully he will return fitter and stronger to competitive cricket without any surgery."

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Hasan Ali's progress from the rehabilitation camps will be closely monitored and assessed for about five weeks following which the future course of action will be decided. Hasan, who has played nine Tests, 53 ODIs and 30 T20 Internationals, managed to play a few matches of the Pakistan Super League in February-March but then in April was diagnosed with excessive stress in his lower back by the PCB medical panel. The PCB has also announced that it would provide financial aid for its 'Champion Trophy hero' until he returns to cricket. 

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Image credits: AP

(With agency inputs)