Injured but Shoaib still in contention for England tour: PCB

Lahore, Jun 1 (UNI) Deseribing Shoaib Akhtar's swollen ankle as a minor injury, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said though the pacer will not be bowling for the next one week but he remains a possibility for the tour of England next month.

''Shoaib has a minor injury but for the moment he is with the team. He is training but has been asked not to put too much stress on his ankle. Specialists have advised him not to bowl till the time the swelling is there,'' PCB chairman Shahryar Khan told The News.

''Shoaib is very much in contention. He is mentally prepared for the tour of England and just has to regain match fitness to be in the team,'' he added.

Mr Khan reiterated that the speedster was an important member of the team and his fitness was of the utmost concern for the board.

''He is one of our key players and we want him to recover fully ahead of the tour of England,'' he said.

Meanwhile, chairman of selectors Wasim Bari said the only fully fit players would be selected for the two-month long tour and he would seek a fitness report from team trainers after the completion of the ongoing conditioning camp before picking the squad.

''We want very, very fit players to tour England because it's a very tough and demanding tour,'' he told the daily.

''I have to attend a PCB Ad-hoc Committee meeting on June 5 and once it is over, I would fully concentrate on taking the input from the team management especially its fitness trainers,'' he added.

UNI XC PM AY BST1422