Visa scuppers Shoaib's Surrey plans

	Shoaib Akhtar will fly out to London on Wednesday © AFP

Shoaib Akhtar has had to put his plans to join Surrey on hold after arriving in the UK without the proper visa. He has been forced to head back to Pakistan, but is still hopefully of joining the county once the paperwork is completed.

Although the Pakistan Cricket Board had given Akhtar a No Objection Certificate, clearing the way for him to play in Surrey's last three County Championship matches, the visa problems mean that the plan has been put on hold.

Shoaib holds a long-term visitor visa for the UK, but requires a working visa to be able to play county cricket. "I am disappointed, but there are rules to follow," Akhtar told AFP. "I will now complete the documents here and fly back to London possibly on Saturday. I am desperate to play for Surrey."

Surrey chief executive Paul Sheldon told The Mirror: "We did everything we could to get him here, but it hasn't worked out. We thought he'd make an impact as he wanted to get his career up and running again."

"We have cleared Shoaib to play county cricket," Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB's chief operating officer, told the News on Wednesday. "The bowler has been out of competitive cricket for quite sometime and needs to regain his match fitness. We believe a short county stint might help him in doing that."

The Pakistan board has been wary of allowing its fast bowlers to play county cricket because of the toll it takes on them. "We've been stopping our fast bowlers from playing for counties because in the past such stints have affected their form and fitness," Naghmi said.

"But Shoaib's case is different. He hasn't played much cricket in recent times and can actually benefit from a county stint." The PCB had prevented Umar Gul and Mohammad Asif from taking up county contracts last year though it later compensated both financially for the loss of earnings.

Shoaib has previously had county stints with Durham, Somerset and Worcestershire. He has played only one first-class match this year and was banned by the PCB for five years in April. The ban was subsequently suspended and Shoaib was picked for the Champions Trophy but he still has to pay a fine of Rs 7 million (approx US$92,000) to the board.

"The past eight months were disappointing, but now I am focused on my return," he said. "I want to bowl at least 15-20 overs in an innings and gain rhythm because we are hosting India late in the year."