Pakistan ignore Akhtar for one-day series against India by AFP

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Player:	Shoaib Akhtar
Event:	Pakistan in India 2004/05

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DateLine: 25th March 2005

 

Fiery fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, left out of Pakistan's ongoing Test series in India due to a hamstring injury, was also ignored for the six one-day internationals to be played next month, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced.

 

Off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez and seamers Rao Iftikhar and Shahid Nazir will join the tourists in India for the one-dayers. They will replace Taufeeq Umar, Yasir Hameed and Mohammad Khalil who will return home after the Test series.

 

"Shoaib Akhtar is undergoing training. His fitness has improved substantially but he will require more time to become match-fit," a PCB release said.

 

Pakistan are seeking a series levelling win in the third and final Test being played in Bangalore. India won the second Test in Calcutta by 195 runs while the first Test in Mohali was drawn.

 

The one-day series opens in the southern coastal town of Cochin on April 2. The other matches will be played in Visakhapatnam (April 5), Jamshedpur (April 9), Ahmedabad (April 12), Kanpur (April 15) and New Delhi (April 17).

 

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is expected to travel to New Delhi on April 17 to witness the sixth and final one-dayer.

 

Pakistan have defeated India in four consecutive one-day internationals since August.

 

Pakistan's one-day squad:
Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi, Yousuf Youhana, Asim Kamal, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Nazir, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Sami, Rao Iftikhar, Danish Kaneria, Arshad Khan and Shoaib Malik.

(Article: Copyright © 2006 AFP)