Shoaib set to return for one-dayers
Thursday, 7 June 2007
KARACHI, Jun 6(Internet): Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar is in line for a recall to the national side after he was included in a list of 20 players due to attend a conditioning camp ahead of two one-day internationals (ODIs) in Scotland next month.
Shoaib, who has played just one Test and four ODIs since February 2006 due to recurring fitness problems, will join up with his teammates on June 10 in preparation for the matches against India and Scotland in Glasgow.
The call-up comes just one week after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) prevented the bowler from going to India to play in the Afro-Asia Cup series, saying he was not 100 per cent match fit.
"He has been working hard to get back into top shape and he remains one of our main strike bowlers, so we have decided to bring him back into the reckoning for selection," chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed said Wednesday.
Shoaib, who also tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone in an out-of-competition drugs test last September, made his most recent appearance in the Port Elizabeth Test against South Africa in January.
"At the camp, Shoaib has to prove he has made a complete recovery from his knee and ankle injuries," Ahmed added.
The Probables: Shoaib Malik, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Naved Latif, Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, Misbah-ul-Haq, Faisal Iqbal, Asim Kamal, Mohammad Yousuf, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Sami, Shoaib Akhtar, Rao Iftikhar, Mohammad Asif, Najaf Shah, Umar Gul.
Shoaib, who has played just one Test and four ODIs since February 2006 due to recurring fitness problems, will join up with his teammates on June 10 in preparation for the matches against India and Scotland in Glasgow.
The call-up comes just one week after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) prevented the bowler from going to India to play in the Afro-Asia Cup series, saying he was not 100 per cent match fit.
"He has been working hard to get back into top shape and he remains one of our main strike bowlers, so we have decided to bring him back into the reckoning for selection," chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed said Wednesday.
Shoaib, who also tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone in an out-of-competition drugs test last September, made his most recent appearance in the Port Elizabeth Test against South Africa in January.
"At the camp, Shoaib has to prove he has made a complete recovery from his knee and ankle injuries," Ahmed added.
The Probables: Shoaib Malik, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Naved Latif, Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, Misbah-ul-Haq, Faisal Iqbal, Asim Kamal, Mohammad Yousuf, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Sami, Shoaib Akhtar, Rao Iftikhar, Mohammad Asif, Najaf Shah, Umar Gul.