The Ahes: Fletcher rules out Vaughan return

England coach Duncan Fletcher has ruled out former captain Michael Vaughan's return in this Ashes series.

Fletcher does not believe there are enough tour games for Vaughan to regain full fitness after having knee surgery.

"There's not much cricket between now and the third, fourth and fifth Tests.

"Especially cricket where he has to stay in the field for a long time, probably two days standing on that leg and for a long innings," Fletcher said.

"So until he can do that and he's confident in his knee, we won't consider Michael Vaughan."

Vaughan, the 2005 series winning captain, himself had targeted the fourth Test, which starts in Melbourne on Boxing Day.

But he has struggled with the bat in his first two matches since undergoing surgery.

He was out for a duck playing for an England Academy side against a Western Australia XI and then hit just nine runs on Wednesday against a WA Second XI.

The third Test starts in Perth on 14 December with Australia leading the series 2-0.

England play two matches, a one-day game against CA Chairman's XI at Lilac Hill on Friday and a two-day game against Western Australia, starting on Saturday.

Vaughan will play in the two-day game along with England Test squad players who have not featured in the first two Test matches.

The Ashes: Warne and Hussey sink England

The Ashes: Australia v England, 2nd Test, Adelaide,

By: Andrew Miller at Adelaide

December 5, 2006

Australia 513 and 4 for 168 (Hussey 61*, Ponting 49) beat England 6 for 551 and 129 (Collingwood 22*, Warne 4-49) by six wickets

Mike Hussey and Adam Gilchrist celebrate Australia's incredible victory © Getty Images

Australia have won the second Test at Adelaide and taken a 2-0 lead in the Ashes, after Shane Warne bounced back to form on a sensational final day to spark a dramatic England collapse. From 1 for 59 overnight, England lost their last nine wickets for 60 in 42 panic-stricken overs, with Warne right in the thick of things taking 4 for 27 in an unbroken 26-over spell. And then, needing 168 to win in an extended final session, Australia romped home with 3.1 of their 36 overs to spare. It was left to the ICC one-day Player of the Year, Mike Hussey, to crack the winning runs in an unbeaten 61.

It was a day dredged straight from the pit of English Ashes misery, and it was sparked, inevitably, by Warne. After his first-innings haul of 1 for 167, it was questioned whether he could ever again be the force of old, especially given the savage treatment that Kevin Pietersen had meted out on him in the course of his 158. And yet, the old showman proved that it's never too late for another encore. With England wobbling after two early setbacks, he reverted to his attacking line from over the wicket and bowled Pietersen round the legs with a prodigious first-ball legbreak that pitched in the rough and exploded onto off stump. It was a seminal moment, and England's resolve crumbled in an instant.

Pietersen had gone for 2, England had lost three wickets for four runs in three overs, and they had absolutely no place to turn. Andrew Strauss had fallen to a dubious catch at short leg and Ian Bell to a suicidal run-out - both dismissals inspired by Warne - and the combination of nerves and bad karma swept through the dressing-room like a bushfire. Australia went in for the kill, with sweepers on both boundaries to asphyxiate the runs and slips in place to pile on the pressure, and no-one other than the steadfast Paul Collingwood had any answer to the onslaught.

Andrew Flintoff certainly had no clue how to approach the situation. With his mind seemingly everywhere but on the job, he swished at a succession of wide deliveries from Brett Lee and eventually snicked one through to Adam Gilchrist, and Lee needed just four balls after the break to set Geraint Jones up for the big outswinging half-volley that he slapped straight to Matthew Hayden at gully. Ashley Giles - included in England's line-up as an insurance policy for a day exactly like this - then lasted just eight deliveries before Warne squared him up with a big ripper and Hayden again pouched the catch at slip.

Collingwood by now was entrenched, starved of run-scoring opportunities and rapidly running out of partners. Matthew Hoggard dug in as best he could, but having ground his innings out for 24 obdurate deliveries, Warne served up a thinly disguised googly that took the inside-edge of an ambitious swish. And Glenn McGrath, who had been brooding in the outfield for three hours and 20 minutes, struck in his first over to end Steve Harmison's brief resistance.

James Anderson hung around with Collingwood for 10 precious overs, but runs were at an absolute premium, with England managing just three boundaries in the entire day's play. McGrath eventually picked Anderson off lbw for 1 from 28 balls, leaving Collingwood high and dry, unbeaten on 22 from a strokeless but steadfast 119 balls.

Scenting blood, Australia made a breathless start. Justin Langer signalled his intentions by dancing down the wicket to Matthew Hoggard's second delivery, and clubbed it off a good length through midwicket for four. But Hoggard had his revenge in his next over, when Langer threw the kitchen sink at a wide one but cut it straight into Ian Bell's midriff at point.

The start of the rot: Shane Warne appeals successfully for Andrew Strauss's wicket © Getty Images

Hayden came and went in a similar manner, thumping Flintoff for two big boundaries before top-edging an attempted pull Collingwood, running back from midwicket. Australia had slipped to 2 for 33 after six overs, but Ponting joined forces with Hussey, who had been promoted above Damien Martyn in the Australian order, and the pair switched instantly to one-day mode, nudging the singles and keeping the run-rate ticking over.

As Giles entered the attack, Flintoff posted sweepers on the off and leg side and attempted to cut off the easy singles behind square, but Australia's batsmen were too canny with their one-day expertise, and milked Giles out of the attack with a series of expert dabs and reverse-sweeps. Hoggard returned with the keeper standing up but had to retreat after conceding ten runs in one over, most of them dabbed through third man.

England's shoulders began to droop as Flintoff's captaincy became increasingly lacklustre. Anderson got one to kick off a good length to Hussey, but the edge eluded slip and raced away for another boundary, and though they briefly came back into the reckoning when Strauss clung onto two catches in four balls to see off Ponting for 49 and Martyn for 5, the final insult came when a hyperactive Pietersen fielded a relay throw from Hoggard at long-on, and hurled it over the boundary to give away seven precious runs.

As the replay screen counted down the runs required, it could have been a replay of the closing stages at Edgbaston or Old Trafford last summer - with one prominent exception. The fight had gone out of England long before Hussey picked off the winning runs through cover point. It is ironic, given the disdain they have shown for one-day cricket this year, that their Ashes campaign might just have been ended by a one-day style capitulation.

Andrew Miller is UK editor of Cricinfo

© Cricinfo

Drugs in cricket: Shoaib and Asif acquitted

By: Osman Samiuddin

December 5, 2006

The saga continues: First the ban and, then, complete acquittal © Getty Images

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have been acquitted by the tribunal appointed to review their appeals against the drugs ban imposed on them by an earlier committee. The three-man committee, headed by Justice Fakhruddin Ebrahim, voted two to one in favour of the acquittal. Haseeb Ahsan, former Test cricketer, and Ebrahim were in favour of the acquittal while the third member, Danish Zaheer, dissented.

"This appeal committee holds that Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif will not be deemed to have committed a doping offence," Ibrahim told reporters in Karachi. "The ban and punishment imposed by the earlier tribunal is hereby set aside as being contrary to the provision of laws."

A 30-page plus judgement released by the committee detailed the reasons for their decision. As well as taking into account the fact that existing medical evidence surrounding nandrolone (the substance for which both were tested positive) remains questionable, the punishment handed out by the previous committee were also called into question. The ruling also cited 'exceptional circumstances' for both players, that neither was fully aware of the substances they were taking.

"It is plainly evident that neither Shoaib Akhtar nor Mohammad Asif were ever warned or cautioned against taking supplements," the judgement read. "Hence, this committee is of the considered view that both players have successfully established that they held an honest and reasonable belief that the supplements ingested by them did not contain any prohibited substances."

Bilal Minto, one of the lawyers representing Shoaib, told Cricinfo that the decision was a good one, but highlighted that the PCB had also let down the players. "We are very happy about the judgement obviously. But it is clear that the PCB's level of educating players about anti-doping legislation is poor. As lawyers, even we struggled to make sense of their anti-doping regulations so expecting players to be able to understand it is not right."

Shoaib, banned for two years, and Asif, for one year, appealed after they were found guilty for testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone in dope tests that were internally conducted by the PCB at the end of September.

The ICC did not have any immediate reaction. "Malcolm Speed is currently in Uganda and we can't comment on the issue unless we have all the details," said Brian Murgatroyd, the ICC spokesman. "We need to go through the judgement and also get the PCB's version before making any comment."

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), in charge of monitoring drugs in sport, said they needed to discuss the matter with the ICC. Frederic Donze, their media relations officer, told Cricinfo: "We will now review the reasons for the decision, liaise with the ICC and consider whether to exercise its right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport."

The original tribunal which had imposed the ban was chaired by barrister Shahid Hamid and included Intikhab Alam, the former Pakistan captain, and Waqar Ahmed, a doping expert. The ICC had applauded that decision, saying that it was an appropriate deterrent where the threat of drugs to cricket was concerned. "It is a good judgement, well written, very professionally done and they have made constant reference to the guidelines laid down in the PCB's anti-doping code,"Percy Sonn, the ICC president had said.

Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of Cricinfo

© Cricinfo

Mohammad Yousuf Breaks 30-Years-Old Record of Sir Viv Richards

By: Osman Samiuddin at Karachi

A typically elegant, clipped on-drive for four off Corey Collymore took Mohammad Yousuf from 44 to 48 on the fourth day of the final Test between Pakistan and the West Indies at Karachi. A modest raise of the bat acknowledged that the drive also took him past one of the longest-standing records in cricket, of most runs in a calendar year.

Sir Viv Richards scored 1710 runs in 1976, a memorable run during which he hit two double hundreds against England in England and the closest anyone had come to it since was Ricky Ponting in 2005, with 1544 runs.

By day's end, Yousuf added another century to the eight he had made already this year. He told reporters at the end of the day, "God has helped me break this record and I am extremely happy and proud for my country because whenever the record is discussed now, it will be with the name of a Pakistani batsman."

The day began with Yousuf needing a further 47 runs to break the record and knowing it too. "I was under a little pressure in the morning," he admitted. "I knew what had to be done and luckily I was able to do it in the end."

Yousuf's final tally for the year is 1788 runs from 11 Tests, and 665 of them have come from the series against West Indies, the highest tally recorded by a Pakistani batsman in a three-Test series. He began his run with two hundreds in the home series against India. He only played a solitary Test in Sri Lanka, personally an unmemorable one, but a double century at Lord's sparked off a stunning second half of the year.

Two more hundreds came from the remaining three Tests in England, including 192 at Headingley. He ended the year with three hundreds in three Tests against the West Indies at home.

During the course of this magnificent run, a few more records fell. His first-innings hundred at Karachi meant that he had scored eight Test hundreds this year alone, going past the previous best of seven, held jointly by Richards and Aravinda de Silva. By scoring five hundreds in five consecutive Tests, he also became only the third man, along with Jacques Kallis and Sir Don Bradman (six hundreds in six Tests) to do so.

Yousuf also had praise for Bob Woolmer, Pakistan's coach, and Mushtaq Ahmed for the part they have played in his game over the last year. "I changed the way I practiced. Mushy really helped during the England tour and in India," he said. "He made me practice with slabs to be able to play rising deliveries better and that has really helped.

"Since Bob has been with us, he has really sorted out my balance. I used to have some problems with it before but he has really helped me set it properly now and it was a big change."

Comparisons with greats were avoided as deftly as bouncers have been over the last year. When asked to compare himself with Javed Miandad, Yousuf said only, "It is difficult to compare. You are either better or worse and anyway, it is for the media to decide. I can't say anything about it. But he is my ideal." And when the question of Sir Don Bradman's record of six hundreds in six consecutive Tests reared its head, Yousuf replied, with some cheek, "I have six in five Tests, so you decide."

Reactions to the record

Bob Woolmer
It is a marvellous achievement. I have had the honour of playing against Viv Richards and coaching Yousuf. Both are very different in their styles, Viv was a lot more aggressive and Yousuf more sedate but to break Viv's record is really an outstanding achievement.

Brian Lara
It's excellent and slightly unbelievable what he has achieved. Nine hundreds in a year and that many runs is just magnificent. He is a very committed player and an excellent role model, not just for Pakistan but for young cricketers everywhere. He's had an amazing year, though the last 600 runs that he has scored I haven't really enjoyed.

Sanjay Manjrekar
The most striking thing about Yousuf at the moment is that it is as if he is batting in a trance. He is so calm at the crease and that mental change is the most striking change from last year. You know people will say that he played on flat tracks, against weak attacks at times but that is neither here nor there. He still had to break a big record and he has done it. What's good to see, apart from the calm demeanour, is that he is, like all good batsmen, cashing in on good form and making the most of that period."

Nasim Ashraf
Pakistan is very proud of his achievements and he will be honoured by the PCB after the match.

Hanif Mohammad
We are proud of what he has done and I hope this is the start of of something great for him.

Rameez Raja
He's been absolutely brilliant this year and has done it against good teams in India, England and the West Indies and has done it home and away. I don't think he has made any technical adjustments as such, but he is so sound mentally now. Religion has played an integral part in his growth not just as a cricketer but as a person. I used to doubt his ability to see Pakistan through in situations before but he has rescued Pakistan from precarious positions through the year. A superb achievement.

Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of Cricinfo

© Cricinfo

Give Harmy a Break

Tim de Lisle

November 28, 2006

Steve Harmison's action, his radar and his confidence have all gone, and there is no Troy Cooley in the camp to put them right © Getty Images

What do you do with a broken spearhead? That's the question for England as they try to pick up the pieces after Brisbane.

There seems to be a widespread assumption that Steve Harmison will play in Adelaide. But it isn't his kind of pitch: it's too flat and too slow, with short square boundaries just inviting the cut and the pull, if the batsman can reach the ball. And he is in his worst form since the beginning of the last Ashes tour.

It's certainly possible that everything will suddenly click back into place, as it did at Old Trafford in July. But would you bet on it? Harmison's troubles at the Gabba didn't come out of a clear blue sky. This is the third winter in a row that he has struggled: in his last 11 Tests for England overseas, he now has 27 wickets at an average of 52 and a strike rate of 96, with no four-fors, let along five-fors. His action, his radar and his confidence have all gone, and there is no Troy Cooley in the camp to put them right.

The main argument being advanced against dropping Harmison is that it would be handing the Aussies a psychological boost. There's some truth in this. But last Thursday, the same effect was achieved by playing him.

England need to ask themselves a simple question: who should take the new ball? Which pair of bowlers offers the best hope of those vital early wickets? The first choice would surely be Andrew Flintoff himself, reluctant as he is to push himself forward. The second, Matthew Hoggard. He may have been nervous and toothless early on at the Gabba, but he bounced back later with a superb little spell of 2 for 7 in six overs, he has conquered most conditions over the past few years, and he is a natural foil to Flintoff - different length, different pace, different shape. Last time England won abroad, in Mumbai in March, these two opened the bowling.

There seems to be a widespread assumption that Steve Harmison will play in Adelaide. But it isn't his kind of pitch

In a perfect world, there would be the option of Jon Lewis, the English Stuart Clark. In a perfect world, there would also be a spare top-order batsman, so that England could move Ian Bell back down to six, the already overstretched Flintoff to seven and Geraint Jones to eight, while replacing Jimmy [James] Anderson with Monty Panesar and putting their trust in four skilful bowlers rather than five rusty ones. On this scenario, they would have to pick their four best bowlers, and that wouldn't include Harmison - it would mean Flintoff, Hoggard, Panesar and Sajid Mahmood.

Last time England played at Adelaide, they won the toss, batted, waltzed to 246 for 2, and still lost by an innings. That was with five bowlers. There is a mysterious thing about the fifth bowler: it often doesn't help. It worked a treat in England in 2005, but then Simon Jones was fit and firing as the Platonic ideal of the fourth seamer. Since he succumbed to injury, England have been unbeaten with four bowlers (Oval 2005, all four home Tests v Pakistan 2006) while losing more than they have won with five (the nine Tests in between, plus the Brisbane drubbing - won two, lost four).

Four bowlers would rule out two spinners, unless England were prepared to have Paul Collingwood as the third seamer. And it would be taking a risk with Flintoff's fitness. But that risk would not be as great as the planned punt on Harmison's form. And the negative message sent out would not be as bad as the one sent out last week, as loud and clear as all those tedious PA announcements, by the dropping of Panesar.

I'm not saying they should drop Harmison - I'm saying they should rest him. Send him ahead to Perth and take up Dennis Lillee's generous offer of remedial work. He can have a break, work with Lillee, and chat to Michael Vaughan, who handles him well. He can also acclimatise ready for the third Test, which will be played on a surface that, even if it is not what it was, should suit him better than Adelaide. And Flintoff will have one less problem on his plate.

Tim de Lisle is a former editor of Wisden. His Ashes blog is at http://blogs.cricinfo.com/ashesbuzz and his website is www.timdelisle.com

© Cricinfo

'We were outplayed in all departments' - Chappell

Dileep Premachandran at Cape Town

November 26, 2006

Shame on the rookies: Veteran Anil Kumble runs out Mark Boucher by smartly deflecting the ball onto the stumps © Getty Images

Greg Chappell wasn't a happy man after a game in which India had South Africa in deep strife at 76 for 6, and yet managed to capitulate to an 106-run defeat. He insisted that there was no easy answers and no obvious solutions as the team continued on the downward spiral in the one-day game. After winning 21 of 29 matches last season, they have managed just three wins from 14 matches since.

"We were outplayed in all departments of the game," said Chappell, who added that the dropped catches - South Africa took all their chances - made all the difference. "We are not playing well enough. That's the basic problem. Too many players are out of form, key players are not doing well.

"I am not sure whether there is a solution other than working hard. We have to try and turn things around. It has got to come from the players. They've got to dig deep and find a way to do it."

He refused to single out individuals for criticism, and said that tactics like trying Dinesh Karthik in the middle order would continue to be employed until a corner was turned. "We are struggling and we need to try something different," he said. "Indian batting teams with better credentials have struggled under these conditions before. The ball bouncing between waist and chest is not something that happens regularly in India. It takes some adjusting and I don't think we are doing it well at the moment.

"There has got to be a big physical and big mental effort. We've got into winning positions but haven't finished them off. There are some critical areas where we are falling off. We missed a few opportunities after they were 76 for 6 and that was the turning point of the game."

When asked whether the failure of the other batsmen to deliver heaped even more pressure on Rahul Dravid's shoulders, Chappell said: "It puts a lot of pressure on the captain, but then again that comes with the territory. There's a lot of responsibility on him. He's a key player and he's expected to do well. But he needs support. You can't rely on one or two players. There has to be a consistent effort from the team."

Following the 157-run defeat at Kingsmead, there had been calls in parliament for Chappell to be sacked. When asked about such remarks, he said, tongue firmly in cheek, "They are entitled to make any comment they like. That's what they are paid to do in parliament." As for the fans, whose mood turns uglier with each reverse, he could only say: "There's not much you can say at this stage. This is the squad we've got till the end of the series, and we've got to work hard."

At the moment, hard work alone looks unlikely to salvage this series. A flash of inspiration like that provided by Justin Kemp today is what the team is crying out for, but in these conditions, it's hard to see where it's going to come from.

Dileep Premachandran is features editor of Cricinfo

© Cricinfo

Brain Lara Closes-in on Sachin Tendulkar's Record.

By: S Rajesh

November 21, 2006

Brian Lara's magnificent century at Multan put West Indies on top and put them in a position to try and level the series. Cricinfo lists out some of the statistical highlights of the knock.

• This was Lara's 34th century, and puts him in second place in the list of batsmen with most hundreds, just one short of Sachin Tendulkar's record of 35. It was also his 19th score of 150 or more, beating Don Bradman's record of 18. Sachin Tendulkar is next in the list with 15, while Steve Waugh (14), Sunil Gavaskar (12) and Garry Sobers (11) are the others in the top five.
• When this series began, Brian Lara had scored all of 178 runs from eight innings in Pakistan, with a highest of 44. In three innings in this series, he has set right that anomaly, scoring 379 in three innings to lift his average in Pakistan to 55.70. This was also his fourth hundred in successive Tests against Pakistan. (Click here for Lara's performances against Pakistan.)
• Lara finished the day with 196 in 230 balls, but before lunch he set an even more frenetic pace, getting to his hundred off a mere 77 balls, making it the ninth-fastest century in terms of balls faced. The bowler who suffered the most at his hands was Danish Kaneria, who leaked 71 from the 59 balls he faced from him. Kaneria's 30th over was especially memorable, when Lara blasted 26 in an over, the third-highest ever in Tests.
• Lara also became the sixth batsman to score a century before lunch. Batsmen have scored 100 or more runs before lunch 19 times, but only on five previous occasions have batsmen started their innings and got to their hundreds before lunch.
• Lara is now within touching distance of becoming the highest scorer in an innings for West Indies in Pakistan. He needs just 22 more to get past Rohan Kanhai's 217 at Lahore in 1958-59.
• In his last 18 Tests (including this one) Lara has scored eight hundreds at 55.94. (Click here for his stats in his last 17 matches.)
• The 200-run partnership between Lara and Dwayne Bravo is the highest fifth-wicket stand in Tests for West Indies against Pakistan, and the third-highest for all wickets. The 446-run stand between Garry Sobers and Conrad Hunte in Jamaica in 1957-58 is the highest, while Sobers and Clyde Walcott added 269 in Guyana in the next Test of the same series.
• This is only the fifth Test at Multan, and already four batsmen have scored more than 190. Virender Sehwag leads the way with his 309 in 2003-04, while Sachin Tendulkar (194 not out) and Marcus Trescothick (193) are the others to have struck it big here. (Click here for all the hundreds at Multan.)

S Rajesh is stats editor of Cricinfo.

© Cricinfo

Drugs ban appeal delayed until November 20

By: Usman Samiuddin

The anti-doping appeals committee hearing the cases of Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar has adjourned until next Monday after a preliminary hearing at the National Cricket Academy at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium.

The delay came about as Abid Minto, the lawyer representing Shoaib, asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to produce certain documents without which he was unable to proceed. Aftab Gul, the former Test cricketer, is representing Asif.

The three-man committee, headed by retired Justice Fakhruddin Ebrahim, met with lawyers representing the two players and insisted that despite the delay they were seeking as early a finish as possible to the hearing. The panel also includes former Test player Haseeb Ahsan and sports medical expert Dr Danish Zaheer as members.

"All parties, particularly the PCB, are very anxious that the matter is disposed off as early as possible," Ebrahim told reporters outside the Academy. "We have started the hearing partly and despite the fact that there was a request of adjournment we insisted on making some progress. It will continue on Monday and it will continue day to day until it is concluded."

The committee also announced that Mark Gay, the lawyer who represented them during the ICC hearings into the ball tampering controversy, will be assisting them if and when required. "It all depends upon whether we need him or not," said Ebrahim. "We have no personal interest in the matter and let the case be decided in accordance with the law. The tribunal needs assistance and though the PCB started proceedings under its regulations, we have to take the decision. But we need assistance from every quarter, though ultimately only we will decide."

Ebrahim refused to set a timeline for the conclusion of the hearing, insisting only that it would depend partly on "how much time the counsels of two players take. We have to give them complete opportunity to make their submissions. I am expecting to finish this as early as possible."

Shoaib was handed a two-year and Asif a one-year ban by a doping committee on November 1, after both players tested positive for Nandrolone, the banned anabolic steroid. The tests had been conducted internally by the PCB in September, although the results only came in mid-October.

Both players were withdrawn from Champions Trophy on the eve of Pakistan's first match, and they have since insisted they did not knowingly take any banned substances.

Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of Cricinfo

© AFP

Source: http://content-pak.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/current/story/267968.html

Pakistan strive to get Shabbir cleared

LAHORE, Nov 12: The Pakistan Cricket Board is striving to get paceman Shabbir Ahmed's banned bowling action cleared by sending him to Australia for expert biomechanical testing, the board's chief said Sunday.

“Pakistan Cricket Board is sending Shabbir to Perth for biomechanic tests on his action in the University of Western Australia and hope his ban is overturned,” Nasim Ashraf, the board's chairman, told reporters.

Last year Shabbir became the first bowler to be banned for 12 months for his technique.

The lanky 29-year-old seamer's bowling action will be tested by Professor Bruce Elliott.

Dr Ashraf, who took over as PCB chief last month, hopes the results will see Shabbir cleared.

Pakistan lost key fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif to doping bans recently and are keen to get Shabbir back into Test cricket before they tour South Africa early next year.

Shoaib and Asif tested positive in PCB tests in September and were banned for two years and one year respectively.

Shabbir, who has taken 51 wickets in 10 Tests, has been plagued by an illegal bowling action.

He was first reported in 1998 but was cleared after undergoing corrective training guided by former West Indian fast bowler Michael Holding.

Shabbir was reported again in January 2004 but cleared by a panel of Pakistani bowlers. His action was reported again in May and then November last year, after which he was banned.—AFP