Lancashire: Akram ruled out of Lancs game (3 Jun 1998)

3 June 1998

Lancashire: Akram ruled out of Lancs game

Lancashire Evening News

WASIM Akram was ruled out of Lancashire's Championship match against Northants today.

The Pakistan star has still not fully recovered from the shoulder problem he first sustained in the last Championship game at Essex.

He played with the injury in the Benson and Hedges Cup defeat at Surrey last week, but coach Dav Whatmore was not prepared to take any chances today.

"Wasim won't be playing until he is able to be explosive," insisted Whatmore.

"He's hoping to be fit again for the Sunday League game in Northampton, but we will make sure he is absolutely right."

Whatmore again stressed that Wasim's injury is not the same as the one which destroyed his 1997 season. Instead it's a problem under the armpit similar to Mike Watkinson's last summer, "but not half as bad."

In his absence Richard Green stepped into the Lancashire squad, boosting a pace attack already including Peter Martin, Glen Chapple and Ian Austin. They were set to go into the game with Mike Watkinson as the only spinner, meaning that Gary Keedy missed out again.

John Crawley took over as skipper and also replaced Mike Atherton as Nathan Wood's opening partner.

The game was due to start at noon, as Northants try to attract more spectators to their Championship games. And Lancashire were grateful that the weather in the East Midlands is much better than back home, where the second team game against Yorkshire at Elland was abandoned without a ball being bowled yesterday.

Source :: Lancashire Evening Telegraph (https://www.reednews.co.uk/let/)