“Consequently, Azam will be unable to participate in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand, which culminates in Lahore on April 27,” the board said in a statement.

Grade 1 is mild damage to individual muscle fibres (less than 5% of fibres) that causes minimal loss of strength and motion, according to the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, US.

The discomfort in the right-hand batter’s right calf was first noticed during batting practice in the pre-first T20I training session at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

He would depart from the Pakistan men’s cricket team and report to the National Cricket Academy, where he would commence his rehabilitation process under the supervision of the PCB medical panel.

Azam was among 29 elite cricketers who attended the pre-season camp at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul from March 26 to April 6, with the training and drills designed by army experts and strategists.