Shoaib can’t walk but will play

Adelaide, Nov 15: The Pakistani team said today Shoaib Akhtar would play in Thursday's second cricket Test in Hobart despite the bowler h...

Adelaide, Nov 15: The Pakistani team said today Shoaib Akhtar would play in Thursday’s second cricket Test in Hobart despite the bowler having difficulty walking. Team physiotherapist Dale Naylor tweaked a ligament while administering friction treatment to Akhtar’s right ankle last night and the pace spearhead could barely walk today as his team-mates mopped up South Australia by an innings and 26 runs.

Captain Wasim Akram and Naylor are adamant Akhtar will be fine by Thursday, but anyone who saw him hobbling around Adelaide Oval had to be sceptical.Akhtar, 12th man against South Australia, struggled to walk up the stairs to take the players’ dressing room and winced in pain while sitting down in the room. “It is very sore,” he told reporters.

Akhtar’s injury took on an air of mystery. Akram said Akhtar originally strained his ankle on Friday while Naylor said the mishap occured on Saturday. Neither knew if it happened during a net session or a soccer game, and neither shed any light on why it hadsuddenly become worse in the last 12 hours.

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Abdur Razzaq is in doubt after bruising his lower back. Razzaq suffered the injury while sliding over metal grates just inside the boundary two weeks ago and aggravated the problem during the first Test.

INNINGS WIN: Pakistan romped to a big win in their four-day match against South Australia at Adelaide today. The tourists dismissed South Australia for 250 to win by an innings and 26 runs.

Waqar Younis finished with 4-61 and leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed had 4-74.Brief scores: S Australia 250 (D Lehmann 136 not out) & 250 (David Fitzgerald 111 not out, Mushtaq 4-74, Waqar 4-61) lost to Pakistan 526 (Ijaz Ahmed 141, Yousuf Youhana 90)

AUSTRALIAN SQUAD UNCHANGED: Australia’s cricket selectors met in Sydney and named an unchanged line-up for the Hobart Test.Team: Steve Waugh (captain), Shane Warne (vice-captain), Greg Blewett, Damien Fleming, Adam Gilchrist, Justin Langer, Glenn McGrath, Colin Miller, Scott Muller, Michael Slater, Ricky Ponting, MarkWaugh.