Confusion reigns over Shoaib injury

To nobody's great surprise, confusion reigns supreme over the exact status of Shoaib Akhtar's ankle injury, and whether or not it will allow him to participate in this summer's tour to England.

Reuters reported earlier, quoting Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, that the injury is a hairline fracture which might cause him to miss the first half of the tour. Inzamam said, "Right now, he has been advised one week's rest as scans have shown a slight fracture in his ankle which is also swollen. However, the chance of him joining us late cannot be ruled out. The reports about him are a bit uncomfortable for us," Inzamam admitted. "But he has done light training, so the fracture might not be a serious one. We will go by the doctor's report and advice."

But Bob Woolmer, Pakistan coach, has told Cricinfo that there is "mixed opinion within the medical commission as to whether it is a hairline fracture or not." He continued: "We have now sent the scan results to South Africa to a specialist and it will take us a week to get a second opinion from them. If it is a fracture, it seems a very minor one but if it is a case of his older ankle injury (a stress fracture) having not cleared up, then he will need at least four weeks to begin bowling properly and that will leave it very tight for the England tour. But, right now we have to wait and see before any decision is made."

Despite Inzamam's apparently pessimistic diagnosis, sources close to Shoaib deny that the injury is a serious one and that he is still almost certain to travel to England with the squad. "As far as I know, that's not true at all and he will be ok for the England tour," said one, when asked to comment on Inzamam's statement.

The PCB is also unsure just now whether it is a hairline fracture and how it affects Shoaib's chances of touring. Saleem Altaf, director PCB, told Cricinfo that the results of the scan have yet to be confirmed. "The medical commission has carried out a series of tests on him but nobody has confirmed a fracture yet."

In any event, Shoaib has been training in the camp for the last few days, suggesting perhaps that the nature of the injury might not be that serious. Woolmer said, "He hass been running and training with us. Yesterday he ran 12 100m sprints and though there is some stiffness, he wouldn't be able to do that I would think, with a fracture."

And if you weren't confused enough already, Inzamam later retracted his statement, telling PTI, "The doctors have not yet submitted any reports on Shoaib Akhtar's injury. I think there has been some confusion that has led to me being misquoted. Until the doctors submit their reports, I am in no position to comment on Shoaib's injury or his England tour chances. What I actually said was that the same ankle is swollen that suffered a hairline fracture late last year."

Earlier in the week, it was announced that Shoaib had merely twisted his ankle and needed a week's rest, but despite all the confusion, it is now clear that the injury is more serious than initially thought.

And time too is running out; the scan results will take a week and the national selectors are due to announce the squad around June 9, though that date may now be pushed back. Additionally, if he does make the tour, Shoaib will go with limited match practice and uncertain fitness levels. Wasim Bari, chief selector, has told The News that Shoaib will likely be taken to England even if he isn't fully fit as a 17th member of the squad. Even then, as it is Shoaib, nothing will be certain until he turns up on July 13 at Lord's, whites on and red ball in hand.