Shoaib Akhtar's erratic temperament has often come as embarrassment to Pakistan
but captain Shoaib Malik and coach Geoff Lawson today threw their
weight behind the enigmatic speedster and hoped the pacer to fire on all cylinders
in the cricket series against India.
Shoaib is just back from a 13-match ban following his brawl with fellow paceman
Mohammad Asif, whom he hit with a bat just before the Twenty20 World Cup.
The 'Rawalpindi Express', however, returned with a bang, claiming four wickets
against South Africa and both his captain and coach expect him to continue
the good work without making any fuss.
"We know if he gets going, how dangerous he can be. It's
important that he plays well and does what team requires from him," said
Lawson.
He earlier had said that Shoaib, who often had problems with
the Pakistan cricket establishment, realised it was his last chance to make
a mark and the team did not want any trouble from him.
Malik was even more forthcoming in his support for his senior.
"It's wrongly perceived that he poses a problem to the
team. He is a teamman and a senior member of the side. I share a very good relation
with him and the way he staged a comeback against South Africa has strengthened
the team," he said.
And with Asif likely to miss the entire ODI series, and possibly
the Test series as well, Pakistan would bank on Shoaib to keep aside his tantrums
and shoulder extra load in the depleted pace attack.
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