Shoaib declines to play in Patron's Trophy

Just days after ruffling feathers by not consulting a Pakistan Cricket Board-endorsed physician, Shoaib Akhtar has once again thumbed his nose at officialdom by refusing to play in a Patron's Trophy match. With the squad to tour India likely to be announced in four days' time, PCB officials had wanted Shoaib to prove his match-fitness.

A Press Trust of India report quotes sources close to the player as saying that he was "surprised" at the board's request, since the team's South African trainer, Grant Compton, had advised him to rest the injury till February 18. Shoaib has apparently sought a meeting with Shaharyar Khan, the board chairman, to explain his position.

The source was quoted as saying: "Shoaib is also surprised at these instructions since even the foreign trainer and physiotherapist would return only on 18 from South Africa, so he (Shoaib) is wondering who is going to assess his fitness even if he plays in the match."

And to add to the sense of intrigue, the report suggested that the request to play in the Patron's Trophy was a board initiative meant to shake off any sense of complacency that Shoaib might have. "We also realise Shoaib is a valuable bowler when he is 100 per cent committed," said an unnamed PCB official. "But his antics in recent times are not acceptable.

"The Board wants to not only ensure he is completely fit for the Indian tour but also keep him under pressure so that he does not take his selection for India for granted."

Shoaib did little of note on India's tour of Pakistan last year, but was the pick of Pakistan's bowlers in recent Test matches at Perth and Melbourne before his well-documented fitness woes returned to zap his effectiveness.