Shoaib stars for Berkswell

Shoaib Akhtar took two wickets and smashed 57 off 31 balls as Berkswell beat St George's club by 144 runs in the West Midlands. Shoaib, suffering from an ankle injury, played for the village side in a bid to regain fitness in time for the fourth Test against England at The Oval beginning on August 17.

"My game for Berkswell was only supposed to be a leisurely return to bowling but I can tell you that I did not hold back on those club players at times," Shoaib wrote in his diary on Bigstarcricket.com. "I thought I bowled quite fast in my first four-over spell, even though my two wickets came later. I bowled at full speed for a couple of overs but came down to about half-pace later on as I didn't want to risk a pulled muscle or strain in my first proper bowl in a long time."

"I had a good practice. I had fun with the club. I had fun with my team-mates," Shoaib told BBC Sport. He added that playing a match after a five-month gap had resulted in stiffness.

Shoaib's participation in the game drew a crowd of around 500. Paddy Milnes, a Berkswell club member, said that they would have usually expected 'one man, a cat and a dog'.

Bob Woolmer, Pakistan's coach, was keen that Shoaib play a few games during his rehabilitation. Woolmer managed to get him to play for Berkswell, whose captain, Dominic Ostler, played under him at Warwickshire.