LONDON, July 25: Pakistan strike bowler Shoaib Akhtar has vowed to bowl faster than ever if he recovers in time for the third Test against England later this month.

Shoaib, who has been sidelined with knee and ankle injuries for months, has been ruled out of the first two Tests but has been working around the clock in an effort to regain match fitness.

And the Pakistani ace is optimistic that he may be ready to make his return at Headingley on August 3 — and predicted that he would be as quick as ever if he gets the all-clear to play.

“I've worked really hard for this series,” he said.

“I wanted to start right against England. I worked hard but I tried to do too much too early and I got a couple of niggles.

“I think I will be a yard quicker when I do come back. I hope to bowl a yard quicker in this series and if I get some good match practice I'll be right up there —I'm not going to get slower, trust me!”

Shoaib has not played since appearing in the first Test against India at Karachi in February. He said his long-standing ankle problem was improving steadily.

“The ankle is good, it's recovering,” claimed Shoaib.

“I've bowled around three or four times with the full run-up and that's been no problem. Everything I do is calculated and we're not taking any chances.

“We have a long, tough year ahead of us, so we've been very sensible.”

Shoaib's rehabilitation has been assisted by an offer from Warwickshire, where Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer still has contacts after holding the same position at Edgbaston over a decade ago, to train with them.

He has done that for more than a week and is hopeful of getting some league cricket under his belt.

“If it was up to me than I could play tomorrow for Pakistan,” said Shoaib,who grabbed 17 wickets during England's 2-0 Test series defeat in Pakistan before Christmas.

“I love playing for my country and I love being out there and it's very frustrating watching my team play on television.”—AFP