‘Fit’ Shoaib marks his run-up again

‘Fit’ Shoaib marks his run-up again
Reuters

WELLINGTON, February 21: Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said he was feeling good and raring to line up for his side to face New Zealand in the third One-Day International in Wellington on Thursday.

But the Pakistan team manager, Fakir Aizazuddin was more cautious than the confident Akhtar, saying it was not certain whether Akhtar would be playing.The tearaway fast bowler hobbled off McLean Park in Napier on Tuesday night after bowling just 1.3 overs during Pakistan’s six wicket loss which squared the five-match series 1-1.

‘‘I’m up for tomorrow,’’ Akhtar said at practice today. ‘‘I feel great and the medical people agree with me, so I’ll be there.’’

Aizazuddin said: ‘‘We’ll find out this evening or tomorrow morning whether he is fit enough to play. I hope he is but he has just come back from injury and we want to be sure of his fitness.’’

Akhtar said he slipped as he bowled only his ninth legitimate ball on Tuesday - he bowled two wild bouncers which were no-balled - and felt a twinge on the upper left thigh. ‘‘I decided to come off because I didn’t want to risk more serious trouble,’’ Akhtar said.

Dr Tauseef Razzaq, the Pakistan team’s physio and medic and the man who nursed Akhtar back to health when he suffered a raft of injuries over the past 10 months, said he felt confident his patient will be back at the bowling crease tomorrow.

‘‘He has gone through a lot. He had an injured shoulder, strained knee ligaments and a rib fracture,’’ Dr Razzaq said. ‘‘It was just general wear and tear from bowling flat out during the tour of Australia last year. He gives 100 per cent and puts his body through some terrific strain.’’

Dr Razzaq also appealed for the media to portray Akhtar in a more positive light.

‘‘Since we’ve been here all we have heard from the television, radio and in the newspapers is that Shoaib is a chucker,’’ he said. ‘‘Look, he’s been cleared of that by the ICC, so let him get on with it.’’

Pakistan coach Javed Miandad was curt when asked if his side could recover from Tuesday’s big loss to get back in Front of the series in Wellington tomorrow. ‘‘You’ll just have to wait and see,’’ he said. ‘‘We’ll be back.’’ New Zealand are without all-rounder Jacob Oram for the Wellington match after he injured an ankle warming up in Napier and have called in Auckland all-rounder Andre Adams, but it seems Adams will be 12th man.

Umpires chuck Akhtar’s fears
New Zealand umpires’ chief Brian Aldridge has backed Akhtar’s controversial bowling action, saying both umpires and the match referee for the first one-day international in Auckland had not reported any problems with the fast bowler’s action. Akhtar had come under scrutiny by both major television networks who analysed his action in news bulletins. Wellinton’s The Dominion reported Aldridge as saying: ‘‘I was in Auckland for the game and I spoke to the umpires afterwards. I didn’t talk to them about Akhtar. I have confidence in them to report anything untoward and believe it is important not to put the umpires under extra pressure by saying anything that may suggest a bowler’s action is being pre-judged.

They are experienced umpires. They know what has to be done out there.’’ Aldridge, a former international umpire, said of Akhtar: ‘‘He’s a magnificent bowler. Let’s enjoy him this summer. He’s very exciting to watch. He’s the Jonah Lomu of cricket.’’ Lomu is the giant All Black rugby Union winger.