May 7, 2005	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 27, 1426

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LAHORE, May 6: Pakistan cricket coach, Bob Woolmer will not attend a brief training camp of the national team for West Indies tour starting at the Qadhafi Stadium from Saturday. The camp will conclude on May 10. The team leaves for the West Indies on May 11 to play two Tests and three ODIs.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar M. Khan said that he allowed the coach to join the Pakistan ‘A’ team in England.

“The coach was in Namibia to watch Pakistan ‘A’ team matches there to personally examine the potential of the boys and now he will go to London instead of coming to Pakistan”, Shaharyar said.

He said the way Pakistan had been fighting with great spirit and he hoped it would give good results in the West Indies.

He said the PCB would give the fighting spirit of a player more importance instead of his ‘big’ name in cricket.

The chairman refused to reply when asked about Shoaib Akhtar not being satisfied about the way he was dropped from the tour. “I have repeatedly answered such questions about Shoaib and it is better not to ask the same question over and over again,” Shaharyar said.

Shoaib has reportedly said he was not provided a chance to prove his match-fitness as the PCB medical commission did not call him for any test. The PCB had admitted that Shoaib was dropped on the fitness report given by Grant Compton on April 12.

The team was selected on May 2. During his period Shoaib had led Rawalpindi Rams in Twenty20 Cup matches, though he failed to impress with his performance. The chairman said the PCB was considering hiring the services of a fielding coach.

To a question, he said that chapter of hiring a bowling coach was not closed and again it had to be decided if the bowling coach was the need at the academy or with the team.