Controversial Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar will be out of competitive cricket for more than a month as he would undergo a knee surgery in England next week.
The surgery has ruled him out of the one-day series against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi and Dubai from November 3 to 13.
All set to keep him out for at least six weeks, Shoaib’s injury has also put a doubt over whether he would be able to convince the selectors to pick him for the Test tours of New Zealand and Australia later this year.
The 34-year-old was due to play for his departmental side, KRL, in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy from October 10, but team officials said he would not be available for the first six first class matches.
“If he misses the first six matches of the competition, there will be only three matches left in the tournament and we are not sure whether he can get a chance to play for KRL in those games on his comeback or not because there would be a question mark on his fitness,” a team official said.
Shoaib is going to England for the surgery after taking Pakistan Medical Association’s opinion and he has also sent a copy of the recommendation to the Pakistan Cricket Board hoping they would foot the bill for his operation.
But the board has refused to do this pointing out that even under his central contract, he was only entitled to treatment expenses only if he was injured while playing for Pakistan.
“We don’t even know when this injury took place because we have only been informed about it by Shoaib recently. So there is no way we can pay for his treatment in England,” one official told PTI.
Sources said the fast bowler had kept mum on the PCB refusal to pay his expenses in the hope that he would be able to convince Board Chairman Ejaz Butt to make an exception for him.
“Even if the Chairman has the authority to authorise Shoaib’s medical expenses it is a privilege not a rule so I don’t think he can make any demands on us,” the official said.
