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| Shoaib Akhtar |
Glasgow: Shoaib Akhtar
has lost some hair, but he appeared to suggest he hasn’t
lost any of his pace.
“It’s good to be back...
It’s such a nice feeling,” the controversial Pakistan
spearhead told The Telegraph on
Sunday evening.
“Of course, I’m raring to go... I’m fit for big-time cricket,” Shoaib, whose last appearance was in January (Port Elizabeth Test versus South Africa), added.
The 31-year-old hasn’t played an ODI for ten months, though. He’s expected to make his comeback on Tuesday, against India.
The Pakistani selectors, meanwhile, removed quick Mohammed Asif from the vice-captaincy after just one ODI series (May, in Abu Dhabi) as they felt he was “feeling the pressure.”
“It became apparent that Asif was feeling the pressure... That’s the last thing anybody wanted and, so, Salman Butt was made Shoaib Malik’s deputy,” pointed out a top Pakistan Cricket Board source.
Opener Butt, marked out as a future captain in early 2005, will be the No.2 till the end of the year. “I’m happy... By the grace of Allah, I won’t disappoint,” he said.
The Shoaibs and the Butts had been hoping to warm-up
for Tuesday’s face-off by making the most of the ODI
versus Scotland (in neighbouring Edinburgh) but, because
of the weather, not a ball could be bowled.
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