NEW DELHI, Nov 20: Shoaib Akhtar may not have looked his menacing best in the just-concluded One day series but the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ is fit as a fiddle, insists Pakistan team trainer David Dwyer.

Dwyer laughed off suggestions that Shoaib was yet to regain his peak fitness and said there should not be any doubt with the speedster.

”Maybe he does not look the same person but still he is bowling and bowling consistently at 150 kph. I think he is in great shape,” Dwyer said after Pakistan team’s practice session at the Ferozeshah Kotla here ahead of the first Test against India that gets underway on Nov 22.

Dwyer, however, was candid enough to admit that it took lot of effort to keep Shoaib in shipshape. “Oh yes, it takes hell lot of effort to make him fit. We have looked at his history of injuries and so far he looks good. You have to consider that a lot of force goes through his body and it’s same with other pacers as well.”

”In that respect, (Glenn) McGrath was the ideal pacer. He worked so hard on his fitness. I cant really remember the last injury he picked up,” he said.

Shoaib has often been seen sniffing inhaler during the One day series but Dwyer said it had nothing to do with any breathing problem. “Yes, he sniffs it to clear his lung. It’s just a medication, nothing else,” he said.

Dwyer also claimed that Shoaib was physically good enough to survive the wear and tear of a full tour.

“If you ask about fitness, I don’t see any reason to use him sparingly. He is bowling as fast as ever and working hard on his fitness. And the more he works on it, the better he gets. So that’s not a worry,” said Dwyer, who is actually an Australian rugby trainer roped in by the Pakistan Cricket Board to improve the fitness and fielding standards of the side.—Agencies