Akhtar fails to appear for fitness test, damages chances of making it to national squad

Karachi, July 16 (ANI): Shoaib Akhtar has failed to appear for a fitness test which would have helped him reserve his place in the national team for the limited over series in Sri Lanka.

Acting chief selector Wasim Bari said Akhtar skipped fitness tests on Monday and Tuesday.

Bari said Akhtar had informed the board that his mother was unwell, and therefore, he was unable to leave Islamabad.

Bari has made it clear that he wanted Akhtar to bowl for a session of 30 to 45 minutes to assess his fitness before he could be included in the one-day squad for the series against Sri Lanka.

He would be visiting Sri Lanka soon to consult captain Younis Khan and coach Intikhab Alam on the composition of the ODI squad, The Dawn reports.

It would be very hard for Akhtar to stage a comeback in the national team after ignoring the much important fitness tests.

The 35-year-old pacer had recently claimed he still has many years of cricket left in him and is 100 percent fit to play.

However, it is highly unlikely that PCB chief Ijaz Butt would approve Akhtar's selection without a fitness test. (ANI)