LONDON, Aug 31: Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar believes his bowling will improve further as the one-day series with England progresses.

The explosive 31-year-old fast bowler finished with 3-45 in the washed out opening match at Cardiff, his first one-dayer since surgery last winter.

"It was always going to be a test, but it was exactly what I needed," he said. "I know I will get better and faster. I hope to stay fit and by the Champions Trophy I should be at my peak," he told bigstarcricket.com.

Shoaib also took a wicket in the one-off Twenty20 match preceeding the one-day series and has consistently topped the 90mph mark. "It's my rhythm that concerns me most, and I was pleased that it felt good," he said.

"The fact my speeds were getting up towards the middle 90s on some deliveries shows that I haven't lost the ability to bowl fast while I've been out! As any fast bowler knows, the better your rhythm, the quicker you bowl."

The outlook for his team-mates is equally bright, according to Shoaib, as they prepare for the second fixture in a five-match series — at Lord’s on Saturday.

“The team is playing some really good one-day cricket, and I think the only way we will lose this series is if we become complacent,” he predicted. “If we all stay focused and play to our ability we will take some beating - because we have a lethal combination.

“I don’t mean any disrespect to England — they have some dangerous players also — but I just think we have the advantage with experience and ability.”

— Agencies