Kaif out of tri-series

Mohammed Kaif has been ruled out for the One-Day International triangular series in Australia from January 9. Kaif, who was included in the 16-member team announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on December 28, 2003, has been ruled out due to a thumb injury, a top BCCI source said here today. India A coach Sandeep Patil and Dr Vaibhav Daga took Kaif to renowned orthopaedic surgeon Dr Anant Joshi for his suggestion, who after examining Kaif declared him unfit to play in the tri-series, the source said. Kaif’s replacement will be named by the selectors within a couple of days, he added. The middle-order batsman suffered the injury during a league match of the recently-concluded Kenstar Asian A Teams’ One-Day Championship at Kolkata.