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| June 04, 2006 | Sunday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 7, 1427 |
Only fit Shoaib to be selected
LAHORE, June 3: Chief selector Wasim Bari has said that only a match-fit Shoaib Akhtar will be considered for the forthcoming tour of England.
“The selectors will consider the medical reports of Shoaib and if he is fit the fast bowler will be included in the team,” Bari said on Saturday.
Pakistan will tour England from June 25 to play four Tests and five ODIs, besides a Twenty20 game and some side matches.
The injury-prone Shoaib, who has been sidelined since missing five ODIs home series against India in February this year, is still under scrutiny due to an injured left ankle.
Shoaib is on seven-day rest, a decision announced by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) last week.
The rest period ends on Tuesday while the selectors are scheduled to finalise the team for the tour on Thursday.
Asked if Shoaib's fitness could be confirmed in just two days, Bari said that it was not his problem.
“We will consider the latest medical reports of each and every player and then will hand over the team to the PCB on Friday," Bari added.
According to a medical report, Shoaib's ankle is fine but the troublesome area is the fibula bone's lower portion, just above the ankle, where there is some swelling which could take three months to heal up.
Bari said that the selectors would also finalise Pakistan ‘A’ squad on Thursday for next month’s tour of Australia.
After the selection, the training camps of both the teams would be held in Lahore from June 12.
Twenty-nine probables were summoned for the ongoing conditioning camp of ‘A’ team but some are still missing because of league cricket commitments in England.
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