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| Friday, 07 January 2005 |
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Shoaib to miss tsunami charity match SYDNEY, Thursday (AFP) - Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said Thursday he would not be playing in Monday's all-star tsunami charity cricket match for Asia against a Rest of the World XI in Melbourne. The 'Rawalpindi Express', whose commitment in the final cricket Test loss to Australia here on Wednesday was questioned by team coach Bob Woolmer, said he expects to be available for the tri-series against Australia and the West Indies late next week. Shoaib Thursday defended his effort in the Sydney Test where he sent down only 15 overs out of a total 133.3 overs in Australia's first innings and didn't take the field in the second innings with a hamstring injury as the home side went on to win by nine wickets. "I was in agony, I couldn't move," he told television reporters in response to Woolmer's criticism."I had slept on the floor all night. I'm not letting anyone down. I love playing for my country and my commitment is always there." On his no-show at the charity game, Shoaib added: "I could go in and rip my hamstring off .... and be out of the team for six months." Woolmer was seen on television during Wednesday's final day of the Sydney Test having animated words with Shoaib in the team pavilion during the tea interval, but he would not elaborate on what was said between the pair, just saying: "That's between me and him, sorry." "I have to say he was tired. I suppose, in a way, everyone was disappointed with his commitment," he said. "From a team point of view, we understand that he's given everything in the first two Test matches and it didn't go for him in this Test." Shoaib, one of the great sights in Test cricket off his long flowing run-up to bowl, would have been one of the major drawcards for the star-studded Asian team, which features Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Muttiah Muralitharan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Anil Kumble and a limited appearance by Sachin Tendulkar. Some of cricket's biggest names will start arriving in Melbourne over the next few days, with England paceman Darren Gough among the first to arrive on Friday. Only a few thousand seats remain available as expectations rise for a sellout at the 80,000 sellout at the vast Melbourne Cricket Ground. |
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