Shoaib ruled out till the fourth Test

Shaharyar Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ruled out fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar's comeback before the fourth Test at The Oval next month, saying that he still needs time to get match fit.

Shaharyar said that Shoaib is making rapid recovery from an ankle stress fracture but is still far from being fit enough to play international cricket. He also revealed that the team and Board officials were trying to get Shoaib to play some club games in England early next month for the sake of match practice ahead of any international comeback.

"We wanted Shoaib to play some matches in Pakistan but the problem is that there isn't much cricket being played there at this time of the year", he said. "Now we are trying to find some good matches for him here in England."

Shoaib had earlier expressed plans to be fit in time for the second Test at Old Trafford from July 27. But Shaharyar made it clear that it was not a possibility. He even ruled out Shoaib's chances of playing in the third Test at Headingley early in August saying that the best Shoaib can do is to feature in the final Test at The Oval and later in the five-match ODI series.

Shoaib last played for Pakistan in the Karachi Test against India in January this year. He has been out of action during the best part of the last five months after undergoing a twin knee surgery in Australia in February. He was named in a provisional Pakistan squad for England earlier this summer but was left out of the 16-man touring party after it was revealed that an earlier ankle fracture had not healed.

"Shoaib has been out of international cricket for quite some time and cannot just walk back in the squad", Shaharyar added. "Such a step could be counter-productive so we would take our time before recalling him."