BANGALORE, Dec 8: Pakistan suffered a crippling blow on the first day of the third and final Test against India on Saturday when fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was taken to hospital for scans on his back.

Shoaib, who took the field with a belt strapped around his back bowled eight overs in two spells before lunch and sent down another two after the interval before leaving the field in apparent discomfort.

After being attended to by the team’s physiotherapist-cum-doctor Faisal Hayat, the speedster was whisked away to a nearby hospital where MRI tests cleared him of any serious injury.

“The MRI scans revealed no major damage as it was first feared. Shoaib has back spasms and has been advised rest today. Tomorrow morning, his position will be assessed to determine whether he is fit enough to bowl,” Javed Akhtar, the Pakistan’s local media officer, announced.

Shoaib was a virtual passenger during the drawn second Test at the Eden Gardens where he played against medical advice after going down with a viral infection soon after arriving in Kolkata.

With the Rawalpindi Express derailed for the rest of the day, Pakistan captain Younis Khan, who had gone into the vital match with only four regular bowlers, was pressed into service as a bowler.

Usually, a part-time leg-spinner, Younis bowled two overs of innocuous-looking medium-pacers to the sheer delight of Saurav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh. And when the writing on the wall became apparent, Salman Butt and Yasir Hameed were utilised for five overs each in the final session as India piled on 173 runs in 36 overs.

Aamir Sohail, the former Pakistan captain who is here as a TV commentator, lashed out at the team’s think tank of going into the Test with just four specialist bowlers.

“I’m staggered by this illogical policy of playing with four bowlers throughout the series. You can’t take 20 wickets without match-winning bowlers. It’s totally absurd thinking on part of the hierarchy involved in decision-making,” Aamir told Dawn.

“One has got to take risks because as we all saw what happened in the second Test in Kolkata when India amassed over 600 runs in the first innings. Pakistan were left battling for survival after that onslaught from the home side.

“It’s a very philosophy that the bowlers win matches and not the batsmen. And since Pakistan are faced with the do-or-die dilemma, I find this extremely strange of not selecting five specialist bowlers, especially since Shoaib Akhtar has now picked up another injury,” Aamir remarked.