Shoaib and Asif to miss World Cup

Shoaib (left) and Asif will not travel to the Caribbean with Pakistan

Pakistan pace bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have been ruled out of the World Cup due to injury.

Shoaib has been unable to recover from a knee injury that forced him to be sent back from South Africa in January.

Asif has been carrying a niggling elbow problem since that tour, and neither will be fit enough for the tournament starting on 13 March.

Yasir Arafat and Mohammad Sami will replace the pace duo and join the squad in the Caribbean at a later date.

"It is a big blow for us, but I am confident that Yasir Arafat and Mohammad Sami will live up to the expectations," team coach Bob Woolmer said.

"They will join the team in a week's time and we hope to overcome our injury problems with a united team effort."

Pakistan play hosts West Indies in the opening match of the World Cup on the first day of the tournament.

The squad flies out to the West Indies later on Thursday.

Their withdrawal has nothing to do with doping Pervez Mir Pakistan Cricket Board

Shoaib (knee and hamstring) and Asif (elbow) have been in the news for doping issues as well as injury-related matters.

They both tested positive for nandrolone last September but had lengthy doping bans quashed on appeal in December after claiming they had not knowingly taken the banned substance.

The World Anti-Doping Agency is in turn contesting that appeal result in the Court of Arbitration for Sport

The Pakistan Cricket Board asked all its players to submit for drugs tests by 28 February.

Shoaib and Asif did not do so, raising unsubstantiated speculation that they still had traces of nandrolone in their system.

But PCB spokesman Pervez Mir insisted: "Their withdrawal has nothing to do with doping.

"They were due to feature in dope tests once they regained full fitness but for us the chapter is now closed.

"We did our best and waited because [captain] Inzamam[-ul-Haq] wanted them in the team as they are our best bowlers.

"But reports of their injuries were not good and we could not have waited any more."

Arafat is an all-rounder who bowls medium pace and has played just seven one-day internationals, while Sami is an experienced paceman.