PCB clears Tanvir for New Zealand tour

The PCB said on Monday that after getting clearance from the medical panel of the Board, the selectors and team management has decided that Tanvir should join the team as soon as possible in New Zealand.

"The medical panel carried out a revaluation of his knee problem and also spoke to the Australian doctor who did the knee surgery on him last year in Australia. And it is now decided he is fit to play international cricket," a PCB official said.

Tanvir will leave later tonight with the three other players -- Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, opener Taufiq Umar and left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman -- who are part of the Test squad.

Interestingly, two days after the Board and selectors had decided to ignore Tanvir for the tour, saying his fitness was under doubt, Tanvir had taken six wickets in an innings in an Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match to raise questions over the real reasons for not sending him to New Zealand.

The left-armer has taken 33 wickets in five Quaid Trophy matches this season to underline his good form and also scored runs.

"The PCB team consulted the Australian doctor who performed surgery on Tanvir. In his view it takes approximately 18 months to two years for a graft to settle down.

"After evaluating Sohail Tanvir, the PCB team is of the view that the more he plays, the graft will settle and bending of the knee will improve with the passage of time.

Therefore Sohail should carry on normally in cricket and try to avoid fielding positions in circle especially that require sharp bending as his bowling and batting ability can be fully utilized without further deterioration or pain in his left knee," the official said.

Tanvir, who was bowler of the tournament in the first Indian Premier League season while playing for champions Rajasthan Royals, resumed playing cricket this domestic season after remaining out of action for nearly 11 months due to the knee surgery.

The official said that according to Tanvir, he had no pain, discomfort anywhere in the body. However, he was having stiffness in the lower back and legs during the last camp for which he was treated appropriately.