'It's not about Shoaib Akhtar or Bob Woolmer'

Pakistan's obsession with Shoaib Akhtar's fitness and commitment, increasingly a pre-series ritual, has once again got underway. Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach told Cricinfo in an exclusive interview that he still has concerns over the fast bowler's fitness.

"I understand that Shoaib Akhtar runs thirty metres to bowl and he puts a lot of effort into it. He bowls very quickly and is a massive asset to any team. But in order to do that you have to be a lot fitter than he is at the moment."

Shoaib has not played for Pakistan since January this year; he missed the tour to India with a strained hamstring and was overlooked for the subsequent Caribbean tour on the grounds that he wasn't fit enough. Since then, he has played a handful of games at county level, the Afro-Asia series where he looked impressive and two ODIs in the recently concluded Super Series against Australia. He wasn't included in the World XI Test squad for the one-off Test at Sydney, although Graeme Smith, the captain, was at pains to point out it wasn't due to lack of fitness.

Woolmer and the Pakistan board are keen that Shoaib proves his fitness before the England series. His largely unimpressive performance in the Super Series ODIs have not been reassuring on this count.

Shaharyar Khan, the Pakistan board chairman, too has sought assurances from Shoaib about his commitment to the team and fitness, and set both down as a condition for a comeback.

Shaharyar told the Karachi-based daily, Dawn, that he had spoken long and hard to Shoaib during the Super Series and explained to him exactly what he needed to do to get back into the team. Shoaib, according to Shaharyar, guaranteed him his full commitment.

Woolmer expects Shoaib to play in two games before the England series, including the four-day practice game between a Pakistan XI and Lahore, in Lahore from October 26. A source close to the Pakistan team told Cricinfo that nothing short of sustained spells of fast bowling, in these conditions, over a few days, will convince the management of Shoaib's fitness levels.

Woolmer said, "He's coming to the training camp on the 21st and he's playing on the 26th in the practice game in Lahore so I want to see him get stuck in. We have a very important series coming up against England and it's not about Shoaib Akhtar or Bob Woolmer."

Given that, for the first time in over a year, Pakistan have considerable depth in the fast bowling department - Mohammad Sami and Umar Gul are fit again, Shabbir Ahmed has been allowed to resume bowling and the likes of Mohammad Asif, Najaf Shah and Mohammad Khalil have also impressed recently - there will be added pressure on Shoaib to prove his fitness.

Woolmer added, "The only thing I believe Shoaib has to consider is that he must get himself fit if he is to bowl consistently fast for the rest of his career. He's 30 now so his fast bowling career has probably four years left. It doesn't take two years to get fit, it takes two months; he has an opportunity to do that."

Woolmer also touched on problems relating to getting the message across to Shoaib, saying that he might be receiving advice from people outside the game of cricket. "It's a major problem if you have contrary advice; either you listen to the cricket coach or you listen to people who don't know anything about cricket. If Shoaib wants to do it his way and if he doesn't fit the bill, he has to understand he might not get selected."