I will be a yard quicker when I come back - Shoaib

Shoaib Akhtar has vowed to bowl faster than ever if he recovers in time for the third Test against England at Headingley on August 4. He missed the first Test at Lord's because of an ankle injury and is unlikely to play the second at Old Trafford beginning on Thursday.

"I've worked really hard for this series," Shoaib told AFP. "I wanted to start right against England but I tried to do too much too early and I got a couple of niggles. I think I will be a yard quicker when I do come back. If I get some good match practice, I'll be right up there - I'm not going to get slower, trust me."

Shoaib last played a Test against India in Karachi in February and since then, he missed the tour of Sri Lanka and the early part of the England tour owing to the ankle injury. "The ankle is good, it's recovering," said Shoaib. "I've bowled around three or four times with the full run-up and that's been no problem. Everything I do is calculated and we're not taking any chances. We have a long, tough year ahead of us, so we've been very sensible."

Shoaib's rehabilitation has been assisted by an offer from Warwickshire to train with them. He has done that for more than a week and is hopeful of playing some league cricket before making his Pakistan return

"If it was up to me than I could play tomorrow for Pakistan. I love playing for my country and I love being out there and it's very frustrating watching my team play on television."