Asif has injured his elbow and is almost certainly to miss the first Test against England © AFP

Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Sami, the Pakistan fast bowlers, have both sustained injuries to put their participation in the first Test against England on Thursday in doubt.

It had been expected that Asif would shoulder the responsibility of leading the bowling attack for Pakistan in the absence of Shoaib Akhtar (ankle) and Rana Naved-ul Hasan (groin). However according to reports in today's Sunday Telegraph, Zaheer Abbas - the team's tour manager - has confirmed Pakistan have called up Samiullah Niazi, the left-arm medium-pacer. Abbas commented that Asif was "almost certainly" out of the first Test due to an injury to his right elbow, which has received an injection.

To compound matters Sami was hit on the right knee while fielding for Pakistan on the final day of their warm-up game against England A at Canterbury. He required treatment and it was soon heavily strapped, to further disrupt Pakistan's preparations for the Test series.