Shoaib Akhtar declared fit for the final at Rose Bowl

Shoaib Akhtar declared fit for the final at Rose Bowl

In what could be termed good news for the controversy ridden Pakistani side, Shoaib Akhtar has been declared fit for the last match of the NatWest Series against England. Shoaib Akhtar rose to the occasion on Pakistan’s last match against England, as the team squared the series, 2-2 following what could be termed as a breathtaking match.

Pakistan, have therefore fought 2-0 down to force a winner takes all clash under the floodlights in Southampton for the last ODI of the series. Shoaib Akhtar has been bowling excellent line and length and even though the 35 year old might have gained a few pounds and lost some of his pace, he did take some very important wickets in the last ODI to ensure a thrilling win for Pakistan.

Despite injury scares, Akhtar completed his bowling spell and did not look his best especially during the last over’s of his bowling spell, yet he still managed to curtail the English side with some excellent bowling. The experienced bowler has been involved in many controversies during his multiple stints playing for Pakistan however, he seems to have matured over the years and his experience is now evident in the way he has been bowling.

Mondays match at Lords however was overshadowed by the controversial statements made by the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, who alleged that the English team had taken large amount of money to give away the match at oval casting doubts over his team’s performance. Senior officials in Pakistan and the ICC have distanced themselves from the statement of the chairman of the PCB.

The ECB has decided that it will pay for the English players to file charges for defamation against Ijaz Butt following his statement and have threatened to take legal action against the chairman if he does not make a public apology for alleging that English players accepted a bribe to lose the match at Oval.

Meanwhile Pakistan would be seeking to win the final match in order to win the series and end the tour of England on a positive note and the news of Shoaib Akhtar’s fitness is good news for all the fans of Pakistan cricket. Shoaib needs to find the same rhythm that he has shown throughout the series and it could most certainly mark the difference for a win or a loss for Pakistan. An in form Shoaib would surely mean trouble for the English side.