Shoaib Akhtar: hoping to make it to England © Getty Images Enlarge

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, hopes to have the services of Shoaib Akhtar during his side's tour of England in July. Akhtar has not played cricket since he underwent knee surgery in February, but has been invited to a training camp later this month to determine his fitness for the tour.

Inzamam, 36, remained confident that the fast bowler would be back to full fitness. "The reports about his rehabilitation are very positive. He is in the gym and has also started bowling in the nets," he told Reuters. "We will invite him for the camp and hopefully he should be 100 percent fit soon."

Shoaib, with 165 Test and 199 one-day international wickets, went through a bad patch in early 2005 when he seemed to be betraying high expectations with a wayward work ethic. But later in the year he regained the trust, especially of Inzamam and Bob Woolmer, Pakistan's coach, by taking 17 wickets in a 2-0 win over England at home. Having missed the one-day series against India earlier this year with fitness problems, Shoaib has been named a key figure in Pakistan's progress as a Test side.

"Shoaib is an important member of our attack. Conditions in England help the pace bowlers and we would like to go there with our first line pack of bowlers," Inzamam said. "I see him forming a very potent new ball attack with Mohammad Asif. Then we will also look again at Mohammad Sami. We have a quality leg spinner in Danish Kaneria who has bowled a lot in their conditions. And we are planning to go at them with a top pace attack."

Pakistan play four Tests and five one-day internationals in England.