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Despite having reservations about Shoaib Akhtar’s fitness and commitment, Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik does not want to do the job of dumping the pacer from the playing XI for the final ODI against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
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Pakistan Cricket Board sources said that Malik had asked the national selection committee to drop Akhtar from the 15-member squad after the first match but they in turn told the skipper that the side would remain the same for all three matches.
“The selectors also made it clear to Malik that their job was to give the 15-member squad for a home series while the captain, coach and vice-captain were responsible for selecting the playing eleven for every match.
“So basically the team management would have to drop Akhtar from the playing eleven if they felt he was not fit for the matches,” one source said.
Malik questioned Akhtar’s commitment and fitness in the match and put a big question mark on his future as well.
“But the selectors have now left the decision of playing the fast bowler to Malik and the coach and they don’t like this as they feel he should not have been in the 15-member squad in the first place and being such a senior player they are now in an awkward situation of having to drop him,” another source said.
Akhtar who has played just three Tests and 11 One-Day Internationals since February, 2006, has handled criticism over his fitness and commitment rather maturely.
He has already conveyed to the team management that even if they drop him he will remain positive and remains confident about his future as a Pakistan player.
Akhtar has also been advised to forget playing Test cricket and concentrate on One-dayers.
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