Aamer ruled out,Hughes named cover for Katich

Pakistan suffered a major blow on the eve of the second Test with Mohammad Aamer ruled out with a groin injury even as the SCG curator predicted that there will be more in the surface for the fast men over the first half of the game....

Pakistan suffered a major blow on the eve of the second Test with Mohammad Aamer ruled out with a groin injury even as the SCG curator predicted that there will be more in the surface for the fast men over the first half of the game. Tom Parker,the groundsman,said preparations were on track for the pitch,which was showing deep green tinges on Saturday afternoon following a couple of showers.

I think you can see a little bit of life in this,especially with the way conditions are today with the humidity in the air,you might see the ball move around a little bit, he said on Saturday. Ricky Ponting is not concerned by the hue and believes the surface will look like a more familiar Sydney pitch after it is mowed on Sunday morning.

The surface is most likely to worry the planning of the Pakistanis,who are considering some serious tinkering to their attack,and it should convince them to avoid employing both Danish Kaneria and Saeed Ajmal. Australias line-up wont change as their only specialist slow bowler Nathan Hauritz is coming off a five-for in Melbourne.

Skipper Mohammad Yousuf expressed concern over Aamer waking up stiff on Saturday morning,and said they would make a decision only after he bowled in the nets. However,team manager Abdur Raquib told Cricinfo that Aamer has a groin injury and though it didnt appear serious,they decided not to risk him for the Test. Aamers late withdrawal means Pakistan will now start with Mohammad Asif,Umar Gul,Mohammad Sami and Danish Kaneria.

Meanwhile,Australia on Saturday brought in opening batsman Phillip Hughes as cover for the injured Simon Katich for the SCG Test. Hughes is flying from Melbourne to Sydney today to join up with the Australian squad, a Cricket Australia release said.

National Selection Panel Chairman Andrew Hilditch said a decision on the final XI will be taken only on Sunday. Australian physiotherapist Alex Kountouris,said Katich was recovering but still had difficulty in batting. Simon Katich sustained a similar injury to Ricky Ponting when he was struck on the right elbow during the second innings of the first Test at the MCG.