Shoaib to miss second Test

Shoaib Akhtar, the charismatic Pakistani express bowler, has a shoulder injury and has been ruled out of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Karachi which starts tomorrow (Oct 28).

"I have acute pain in my right shoulder which is very stiff," Shoaib said. "I could have played by taking painkiller injections but it is risky, and I have decided to take the rest. The doctors have advised me to rest for two weeks to recover from the problem."

Shoaib, 29, had match figures of 8 for 165 in the first Test at Faisalabad, which Sri Lanka won by 201 runs to lead the two-match seres 1-0. Shoaib follows his new-ball partner Mohammad Sami, who sustained a groin injury in the first Test, onto the sidelines.

Their absence will force Pakistan to play two relatively untried bowlers. Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan's captain, said: "We will go in with the back-up bowlers Naved-ul-Hasan and Riaz Afridi."

Naved, 26, has been on the fringes of the Pakistan squad since the last World Cup and has played in 13 one-day internationals. But Riaz, 19, will be making his international debut.

"There is now pressure on us to level the series, and every batsman will have to score runs," Inzamam concluded. Worringly for Pakistan, they failed to reach 300 in either innings of the first Test.