Tanvir ruled out of New Zealand tour

Pakistani left arm bowler Sohail Tanvir has been ruled out of the tour to New Zealand with a knee injury, team manager Intikhab Alam said on Wednesday.

"He is not fully fit, he tried hard in the camp, but he requires more time as he faces problems while fielding," Alam told the media.

"The selectors will decide later on who will replace Tanvir for the Test matches."

Batsman Asad Shafiq has been called up to play in the three Twenty20 matches in place of the unfortunate 26-year-old Tanvir, who last played a Test match over three years ago and failed to recover completely from a knee problem that required surgery last year in Australia.

Former Test captain Alam said that the team management was not willing to take a risk with any unfit player as it would be unfair on the other players.

Despite the loss, Alam believes Pakistan's chances of a victorious tour are high.

"New Zealand is presently under pressure after losing to Bangladesh and in India and I think we have a good chance of defeating them in the coming series," he said.

Pakistan will play three T20 games, starting on December 26 in Auckland, by two Tests and six one-day internationals followed in 2011.