Visa scuppers Shoaib's Surrey plans

Shoaib Akhtar has had to put his plans to join Surrey on hold after arriving in the UK without the proper visa. He has been forced to head back to Pakistan, but is still hopefully of joining the county once the paperwork is completed, reports Cricinfo. brAlthough the Pakistan Cricket Board had given Akhtar a No Objection Certificate, clearing the way for him to play in Surrey's last three County Championship matches, the visa problems mean that the plan has been put on hold. brShoaib holds a long-term visitor visa for the UK, but requires a working visa to be able to play county cricket. I am disappointed, but there are rules to follow, Akhtar told AFP. I will now complete the documents here and fly back to London possibly Saturday. I am desperate to play for Surrey. brSurrey chief executive Paul Sheldon told The Mirror We did everything we could to get him here, but it hasn't worked out. We thought he'd make an impact as he wanted to get his career up and running again. brWe have cleared Shoaib to play county cricket, Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB's chief operating officer, told the News Wednesday. The bowler has been out of competitive cricket for quite sometime and needs to regain his match fitness. We believe a short county stint might help him in doing that.