11 January 2005	Tuesday	29 Ziqa'ad 1425

MELBOURNE, Jan 10: Pakistan captain Inzamamul Haq and leading pace man Shoaib Akhtar are both doubts for Sunday's triangular one-day series match against Australia because of back injuries, Inzamam said on Monday.

Shoaib has had pain-killing injections for back and hamstring complaints and would miss the two midweek warm-up matches against Australia A, Inzamam told reporters in Adelaide.

Australia will open the one-day series against West Indies in Melbourne on Friday, ahead of Sunday's game in Hobart. "He (Shoaib) has gone to the doctor and he's taken injections today," Inzamam said.

"Hopefully, with 72 hours rest, after that he is feeling well. "He had an epidural in the back, hopefully he's alright in the first game." Shoaib did not bowl in Australia's second innings of the third Test in Sydney earlier this month, while Inzamam missed the second and third Tests with his back complaint.

Australia won the Test series 3-0. The 34-year-old Inzamam said he would play in Wednesday's 50-overs per side game and Thursday's Twenty20 match against Australia A in Adelaide before making a decision on his fitness for the triangular clash.

"We're playing two practice games and we'll try really hard to win both games because winning is a habit," Inzamam said. "After the Test series we were really disappointed, but I think that is in the past now. "It's a new thing, it's different to Test matches, the one-day game and hopefully the boys really come hard on Wednesday." -Reuters