Pakistan vice-captain Inzamam-ul-Haq is to undergo heel surgery in a bid to ensure he is fit to play in next year's World Cup.

Batsman Inzamam was unable to play in the ICC Champions Trophy tournament, which is currently taking place in Sri Lanka.

He will also miss the forthcoming Test series against Australia, which will be played at neutral venues.

The operation will be performed in Australia and he will travel there at the end of the month.

He will then need to recuperate for up to two months.

The 32-year-old is Pakistan's leading one-day batsman, having scored 8,712 runs in 274 games, including eight hundreds and 62 half centuries.

He was a member of the team which beat England in the 1992 World Cup final in Australia, a match in which he made a vital 42 off 35 balls at the end of the Pakistan innings.