KARACHI: Shoaib Akhtar’s expected return to the Pakistan team was delayed on Tuesday after he failed to find a flight to South Africa in time for the first Test match but the speedster says he is not disappointed.
“It is great to be back and even though I was looking forward to the opening Test, I’m not really disappointed at missing it because there would be two more matches to go in the series against South Africa,” said Shoaib, while talking to ‘The News’ on Tuesday.
Shoaib was recalled to the Test squad on Monday after being initially snubbed by the national selectors on fitness grounds.
Pakistan are to begin their Test campaign against South Africa with the first Test at Centurion on Thursday and were desperate to have Shoaib in their ranks after medium-pacer Umar Gul suffered an ankle injury.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials tried to rush him to South Africa on Monday but in spite of hectic efforts they were unable to get him a flight for Johannesburg. The pacer is now expected to leave either today or tomorrow and would be available for selection for the second Test starting from January 19 in Port Elizabeth.
Shoaib, 31, said he is itching to bowl again and would work hard to return with a bang in the second Test.
“I’m fit and raring to go,” said Shoaib, who last played a Test almost a year ago against India in Karachi.
Since then he has been out of the Test arena either due to injury or suspension and is still under the threat of a doping scandal.
Shoaib was banned for two years last November after testing positive for nandrolone, a performance-enhancing drug, but was later cleared after filing a successful appeal against the punishment.
However, the case has been sent to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which has challenged the decision to clear Shoaib and another Pakistani fast bowler, Mohammad Asif, of doping charges.
Shoaib, however, believes he considers the case is closed. “I have been cleared by a competent committee and do not believe I’m under any kind of threat. I don’t even think about it anymore,” said Shoaib.
Though he tried to be diplomatic, the outspoken Shoaib expressed himself on several issues including his uneasy relationship with captain Inzamam-ul-Haq.
“I believe as captain Inzamam should be more supportive of his team-mates especially if they are going through a rough time,” said Shoaib indirectly referring to Inzamam’s alleged role in getting him dropped from a 17-member squad that was sent to South Africa earlier this month.
Shoaib was ignored on the grounds that he lacked match fitness though there was a whispering campaign in the national cricket circles that suggested that he was dropped on the insistence of Inzamam.
“As a captain, it is Inzamam’s responsibility to keep the players united,” he added.
Shoaib said that he has a lot of fire in his belly and was looking forward to a good showing in South Africa and later in the World Cup in the West Indies in March-April.
Showing posts with label Shoaib Akhtar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shoaib Akhtar. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Monday, January 08, 2007
Shoaib called up as Gul cover
Shoaib Akhtar has been called up to Pakistan's squad in South Africa as cover for Umar Gul, who picked up an injury during the warm-up match against Rest of South Africa.
Akhtar was originally left out of the 17-man party after the selectors expressed concern over his fitness levels following his appeal from the drugs ban handed to him and Mohammad Asif. However, in the current round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches Shoaib has taken a five-wicket haul for Islamabad.
Aamir Bilal, a Pakistan spokesman, told AFP: "Akhtar will fly out on the first available flight to South Africa as a back-up for fast bowler Gul, who was injured during a tour game."
Akhtar has not played for Pakistan since the one-day series against England four months ago. He was banned for two years, and fellow paceman Asif for one year, in November after both tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone before the Champions Trophy.
However, a Pakistan Cricket Board appeals committee overturned the bans last month on the grounds that neither player took the banned substances knowingly.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has challenged the decision and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said last week that it is likely to rule on the appeal against the lifting of bans within four months.
The first Test against South Africa starts at Centurion Park on Thursday.
© Cricinfo
Akhtar was originally left out of the 17-man party after the selectors expressed concern over his fitness levels following his appeal from the drugs ban handed to him and Mohammad Asif. However, in the current round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches Shoaib has taken a five-wicket haul for Islamabad.
Aamir Bilal, a Pakistan spokesman, told AFP: "Akhtar will fly out on the first available flight to South Africa as a back-up for fast bowler Gul, who was injured during a tour game."
Akhtar has not played for Pakistan since the one-day series against England four months ago. He was banned for two years, and fellow paceman Asif for one year, in November after both tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone before the Champions Trophy.
However, a Pakistan Cricket Board appeals committee overturned the bans last month on the grounds that neither player took the banned substances knowingly.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has challenged the decision and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said last week that it is likely to rule on the appeal against the lifting of bans within four months.
The first Test against South Africa starts at Centurion Park on Thursday.
© Cricinfo
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Pakistan greats criticise Akhtar's exclusion
Former bowling greats have criticised the dropping of paceman Shoaib Akhtar from Pakistan's 17-man team for the South Africa tour starting next week.
Pakistani selectors said Akhtar lacked fitness for a five-day Test despite bowling 21 overs in a four-day first class match and featuring in a domestic Twenty20 tournament.
"There must have been some compelling reasons to keep a bowler like Akhtar out of the team, reasons we don't know," Imran Khan said.
The 31-year-old Akhtar has not played for Pakistan since a one-day match against England three months ago.
He was banned for two years, and fellow paceman Mohammad Asif for one year, last month after both tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone in October.
A Pakistan Cricket Board committee overturned the bans earlier this month on the grounds that the pair did not take the banned substances knowingly.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has challenged the decision and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is likely to hear WADA's appeal this week.
"It is tough to keep a fully fit Akhtar out of the team - he is a match winner. If selectors feel he is not fit, then they must watch him in a match, and if found fit he should be sent on the first available flight," Khan continued.
Khan's former new-ball partner, Sarfraz Nawaz, said Akhtar's exclusion had eased pressure on South Africa.
"Now with Akhtar not in the team, South Africa will prepare fast pitches, as there would be little pressure on them," said Nawaz, who played 55 Tests for Pakistan.
Former medium-pacer Aaqib Javed said questioning of Akhtar's fitness was surprising to him.
"I watched Akhtar bowl in the Twenty20 and I saw no reason to question his fitness, but I think selectors have different ways," said Javed, who played 21 Tests for Pakistan.
"But having said this, I expected Akhtar to be 100 per cent fit after he missed cricket due to the doping issue.
"I think the selectors should have still sent him and waited for the second and third Test, because you need to have match winners in the squad, as it keeps pressure on the opponents."
The Pakistan team will leave on Tuesday and open the tour with a three-day game against South Africa A at Kimberley from January 6, before playing the first Test at Centurion from January 11.
Pakistani selectors said Akhtar lacked fitness for a five-day Test despite bowling 21 overs in a four-day first class match and featuring in a domestic Twenty20 tournament.
"There must have been some compelling reasons to keep a bowler like Akhtar out of the team, reasons we don't know," Imran Khan said.
The 31-year-old Akhtar has not played for Pakistan since a one-day match against England three months ago.
He was banned for two years, and fellow paceman Mohammad Asif for one year, last month after both tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone in October.
A Pakistan Cricket Board committee overturned the bans earlier this month on the grounds that the pair did not take the banned substances knowingly.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has challenged the decision and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is likely to hear WADA's appeal this week.
"It is tough to keep a fully fit Akhtar out of the team - he is a match winner. If selectors feel he is not fit, then they must watch him in a match, and if found fit he should be sent on the first available flight," Khan continued.
Khan's former new-ball partner, Sarfraz Nawaz, said Akhtar's exclusion had eased pressure on South Africa.
"Now with Akhtar not in the team, South Africa will prepare fast pitches, as there would be little pressure on them," said Nawaz, who played 55 Tests for Pakistan.
Former medium-pacer Aaqib Javed said questioning of Akhtar's fitness was surprising to him.
"I watched Akhtar bowl in the Twenty20 and I saw no reason to question his fitness, but I think selectors have different ways," said Javed, who played 21 Tests for Pakistan.
"But having said this, I expected Akhtar to be 100 per cent fit after he missed cricket due to the doping issue.
"I think the selectors should have still sent him and waited for the second and third Test, because you need to have match winners in the squad, as it keeps pressure on the opponents."
The Pakistan team will leave on Tuesday and open the tour with a three-day game against South Africa A at Kimberley from January 6, before playing the first Test at Centurion from January 11.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
History repeating itself in Shoaib Akhtar’s case
KARACHI: Shoaib Akhtar must have felt like deja vu on Friday when he failed to make it in a 17-member squad for next month’s South African safari, writes Khalid Hussain.
The fast bowler was left out of the squad on grounds that he is not fully match fit even though most experts believe he just needed a little more time to get back in rhythm and could have been an asset for Pakistan on fast and bouncy tracks in South Africa.
But it is a sort of situation which Shoaib is quite used to by now.
During the best part of this summer, Shoaib made continuous efforts to play for Pakistan in the second half of the four-match Test series against England but was not fielded in a single match by the team management which believed he needed more match fitness. Pakistan lost that series 3-0.
Shoaib, 31, was later drafted in Pakistan’s one-day squad and he turned out to be their best bowler in a 2-2 draw in the five-match One-day International (ODI) series against England in September.
During the summer, Shoaib spent his time on the sidelines in the aftermath of a double injury blow - a knee problem that was followed by an ankle injury.
This time, the national selectors and the team management finally concluded that more than three months of absence from international cricket has left him rusty.
Shoaib missed the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy in India in October and the home Test and one-day series against the West Indies in Nov-Dec because of a drug-related ban. He, along with medium pacer Mohammad Asif, was however exonerated by a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appeals committee earlier this month.
Sources close to Shoaib say that the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ was guaranteed of a return to the national team by a section of the Pakistan team think tank. He was told to play a few matches and attend a brief pre-tour conditioning camp that got underway in Lahore from December 26 before returning to the Pakistan squad.
He did play in a Patron’s Trophy match for KRL and later featured in a lost cause for Islamabad Leopards in the recently-concluded Twenty20 Cup. Shoaib was unable to come out with a sensational performance but, at times, he did look sharp.
The maverick speedster showed further improvement during the conditioning camp but was still unable to convince the selectors and more importantly his captain Inzamam-ul-Haq that he deserved a recall.
Sources say that though the selection committee was divided over Shoaib’s case, it was a negative vote from Inzamam that decided the pacer’s fate.
Forget the pictures that were taken during the Lahore camp showing Shoaib and Inzamam talking like close friends, there is no love lost between the two star cricketers.
Inzamam is the sort of person who cannot allow anyone to challenge his authority. Shoaib, on the other hand, loves to do exactly the same. In addition, top PCB officials have also been unhappy with Shoaib’s attitude.
Sources said that the Board people wanted Shoaib to show more gratitude for the help he got from the authorities in his legal battle against a two-year doping ban.
But just weeks after getting an all-clear from an appeals committee, Shoaib defied the authorities by refusing to wear a sponsor’s logo during the Twenty20 Cup.
Whether you could afford to ignore a bowler of Shoaib’s pace on such grounds, however, is a different question.
Without him Pakistan had a disastrous tour of England and the same story could get repeated in South Africa.
The fast bowler was left out of the squad on grounds that he is not fully match fit even though most experts believe he just needed a little more time to get back in rhythm and could have been an asset for Pakistan on fast and bouncy tracks in South Africa.
But it is a sort of situation which Shoaib is quite used to by now.
During the best part of this summer, Shoaib made continuous efforts to play for Pakistan in the second half of the four-match Test series against England but was not fielded in a single match by the team management which believed he needed more match fitness. Pakistan lost that series 3-0.
Shoaib, 31, was later drafted in Pakistan’s one-day squad and he turned out to be their best bowler in a 2-2 draw in the five-match One-day International (ODI) series against England in September.
During the summer, Shoaib spent his time on the sidelines in the aftermath of a double injury blow - a knee problem that was followed by an ankle injury.
This time, the national selectors and the team management finally concluded that more than three months of absence from international cricket has left him rusty.
Shoaib missed the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy in India in October and the home Test and one-day series against the West Indies in Nov-Dec because of a drug-related ban. He, along with medium pacer Mohammad Asif, was however exonerated by a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appeals committee earlier this month.
Sources close to Shoaib say that the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ was guaranteed of a return to the national team by a section of the Pakistan team think tank. He was told to play a few matches and attend a brief pre-tour conditioning camp that got underway in Lahore from December 26 before returning to the Pakistan squad.
He did play in a Patron’s Trophy match for KRL and later featured in a lost cause for Islamabad Leopards in the recently-concluded Twenty20 Cup. Shoaib was unable to come out with a sensational performance but, at times, he did look sharp.
The maverick speedster showed further improvement during the conditioning camp but was still unable to convince the selectors and more importantly his captain Inzamam-ul-Haq that he deserved a recall.
Sources say that though the selection committee was divided over Shoaib’s case, it was a negative vote from Inzamam that decided the pacer’s fate.
Forget the pictures that were taken during the Lahore camp showing Shoaib and Inzamam talking like close friends, there is no love lost between the two star cricketers.
Inzamam is the sort of person who cannot allow anyone to challenge his authority. Shoaib, on the other hand, loves to do exactly the same. In addition, top PCB officials have also been unhappy with Shoaib’s attitude.
Sources said that the Board people wanted Shoaib to show more gratitude for the help he got from the authorities in his legal battle against a two-year doping ban.
But just weeks after getting an all-clear from an appeals committee, Shoaib defied the authorities by refusing to wear a sponsor’s logo during the Twenty20 Cup.
Whether you could afford to ignore a bowler of Shoaib’s pace on such grounds, however, is a different question.
Without him Pakistan had a disastrous tour of England and the same story could get repeated in South Africa.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Shoaib fined for refusing to wear sponsors logo
KARACHI: Pakistan’s enigmatic pace star Shoaib Akhtar once again attracted controversy when he was fined by the organisers of the recently-concluded Twenty20 Cup for refusing to wear a sponsorsí logo during the event.
A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said on Tuesday that Shoaib was fined Rs 10,000 after he flatly refused to wear the logo of Mobilink, which sponsored all the participating teams of the Twenty20 Cup held in Karachi from December 21-26.
Shoaib, still in the danger of being banned for doping, was told by match referee Anwar Khan to wear the cellular company’s logo when he featured in the Twenty20 Cup for the Rawalpindi Rams.
He was told that all players have to wear the logo since the PCB has an agreement with the company.
However, Shoaib refused to wear the logo saying that he had no contract with the PCB and was not being paid by the Board or the sponsors to do it.
The fast bowler hid the logo on his T-shirt with a sticker and played two matches for the Rams who were bundled out of the competition at the first hurdle.
The PCB official said that after giving Shoaib repeated warnings, the event’s officials decided to fine him.
Shoaib, 31, lost his central contract with the PCB when he failed a dope test in October. Shoaib, along with new ball partner Mohammad Asif tested positive for banned anabolic steroid nandrolone and were pulled out of Pakistan ICC Champions Trophy squad. They were later banned by a PCB anti-doping tribunal in November.
However, a PCB appeals committee overturned the ban earlier this month saying that the players did not intentionally take the banned drugs.
But the players may still face a ban as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has filed an appeal against the decision to clear them in the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).
Shoaib is among the 25 players invited by the PCB for a conditioning camp that got underway at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday in preparation for next month’s tour of South Africa.
A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said on Tuesday that Shoaib was fined Rs 10,000 after he flatly refused to wear the logo of Mobilink, which sponsored all the participating teams of the Twenty20 Cup held in Karachi from December 21-26.
Shoaib, still in the danger of being banned for doping, was told by match referee Anwar Khan to wear the cellular company’s logo when he featured in the Twenty20 Cup for the Rawalpindi Rams.
He was told that all players have to wear the logo since the PCB has an agreement with the company.
However, Shoaib refused to wear the logo saying that he had no contract with the PCB and was not being paid by the Board or the sponsors to do it.
The fast bowler hid the logo on his T-shirt with a sticker and played two matches for the Rams who were bundled out of the competition at the first hurdle.
The PCB official said that after giving Shoaib repeated warnings, the event’s officials decided to fine him.
Shoaib, 31, lost his central contract with the PCB when he failed a dope test in October. Shoaib, along with new ball partner Mohammad Asif tested positive for banned anabolic steroid nandrolone and were pulled out of Pakistan ICC Champions Trophy squad. They were later banned by a PCB anti-doping tribunal in November.
However, a PCB appeals committee overturned the ban earlier this month saying that the players did not intentionally take the banned drugs.
But the players may still face a ban as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has filed an appeal against the decision to clear them in the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).
Shoaib is among the 25 players invited by the PCB for a conditioning camp that got underway at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday in preparation for next month’s tour of South Africa.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Shoaib losing race against time ahead of South Africa tour
KARACHI: The indifferent form of fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has alarmed Pakistani cricket authorities since returning to competitive cricket after being controversially cleared of a drug-related ban earlier this month.
Well-placed sources told this correspondent on Sunday that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials are double-minded whether to recall Shoaib in their squad for next month’s important tour of South Africa after watching his lacklustre bowling in a few domestic games recently.
It is quite visible that Shoaib, known in the cricket world as the ‘Rawalpindi Express’, is yet to gather pace after missing Pakistan’s last two assignments - the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy and the home series against the West Indies - because of a doping ban.
The world’s fastest bowler turned out to be quite harmless for local cricketers when he starred for Rawalpindi Rams in the ongoing Twenty20 Cup in Karachi.
Shoaib took just one wicket in two matches as his team crashed out of the event at the first hurdle.
Shoaib, 31, also played a four-day Patron’s Trophy game for KRL where he did show some sparks by taking three wickets against WAPDA after going wicketless in the first innings. KRL lost that match.
National selectors have made it clear that Shoaib will have to prove his form and fitness in domestic matches to earn a recall in the Pakistan team for the tour of South Africa. The proof they need, however, is not yet visible.
Now Shoaib has one more platform to show the PCB, national selectors and the Pakistan team management that he is still an asset - a conditioning camp getting underway in Lahore from tomorrow.
The injury-prone Shoaib is a part of a 25-man list of probables, which would form the brief conditioning camp during which Pakistan would pick their squad for the Test series against South Africa getting underway with the first match at Centurion from January 11.
“Shoaib is walking on thin ice,” said an official on the condition of anonymity. “His fitness history is far from encouraging and might become a stumbling block for the bowler’s international return in the current circumstances,” he added.
Shoaib, who has taken 165 wickets from 42 Tests, is one of the several fast bowlers in contention for the tour of South Africa.
They include Mohammad Asif, who was initially banned along with Shoaib for doping last month. Asif has made an effortless return to competitive cricket after being cleared by an appeals committee of any doping offences and is all set to spearhead the Pakistani attack in South Africa.
Then there are more pacers who have shown good form in recent international outings like Umar Gul, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Shahid Nazir, Mohammad Sami and the lanky Shabbir Ahmed, who has been allowed to return to international cricket after serving a 12-month ban for an illegal bowling action.
Time is running out for Shoaib as Pakistan are to announce their touring party for South Africa within the next few days. He will have to come out with a convincing display of fast bowling and he will have to do that quickly.
Well-placed sources told this correspondent on Sunday that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials are double-minded whether to recall Shoaib in their squad for next month’s important tour of South Africa after watching his lacklustre bowling in a few domestic games recently.
It is quite visible that Shoaib, known in the cricket world as the ‘Rawalpindi Express’, is yet to gather pace after missing Pakistan’s last two assignments - the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy and the home series against the West Indies - because of a doping ban.
The world’s fastest bowler turned out to be quite harmless for local cricketers when he starred for Rawalpindi Rams in the ongoing Twenty20 Cup in Karachi.
Shoaib took just one wicket in two matches as his team crashed out of the event at the first hurdle.
Shoaib, 31, also played a four-day Patron’s Trophy game for KRL where he did show some sparks by taking three wickets against WAPDA after going wicketless in the first innings. KRL lost that match.
National selectors have made it clear that Shoaib will have to prove his form and fitness in domestic matches to earn a recall in the Pakistan team for the tour of South Africa. The proof they need, however, is not yet visible.
Now Shoaib has one more platform to show the PCB, national selectors and the Pakistan team management that he is still an asset - a conditioning camp getting underway in Lahore from tomorrow.
The injury-prone Shoaib is a part of a 25-man list of probables, which would form the brief conditioning camp during which Pakistan would pick their squad for the Test series against South Africa getting underway with the first match at Centurion from January 11.
“Shoaib is walking on thin ice,” said an official on the condition of anonymity. “His fitness history is far from encouraging and might become a stumbling block for the bowler’s international return in the current circumstances,” he added.
Shoaib, who has taken 165 wickets from 42 Tests, is one of the several fast bowlers in contention for the tour of South Africa.
They include Mohammad Asif, who was initially banned along with Shoaib for doping last month. Asif has made an effortless return to competitive cricket after being cleared by an appeals committee of any doping offences and is all set to spearhead the Pakistani attack in South Africa.
Then there are more pacers who have shown good form in recent international outings like Umar Gul, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Shahid Nazir, Mohammad Sami and the lanky Shabbir Ahmed, who has been allowed to return to international cricket after serving a 12-month ban for an illegal bowling action.
Time is running out for Shoaib as Pakistan are to announce their touring party for South Africa within the next few days. He will have to come out with a convincing display of fast bowling and he will have to do that quickly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)