We are hurt, now we will hurt others: Shoaib

[minisoji]

COLOMBO: Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said on Monday that Pakistan's recent spot-fixing affair had been a painful one, but had made its players determined to do well at the World Cup.

"We are a hurt side and we want to hurt other teams — in a good sense I mean," Akhtar said.

An ICC tribunal banned former captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir for five years earlier this month for bowling prearranged no-balls during the Lord's Test against England last August.

Butt and Asif were also given suspended sentences of five and two years respectively.

Akhtar believes he could have formed a lethal pace combination at the World Cup with Amir and Asif, but conceded "it's part of history". However, he said Pakistan could still point to fast bowlers like Umar Gul, Abdul Razzaq and Wahab Riaz.

"The way Gul and Razzaq are bowling, the way Wahab is bowling, we still can do a much better job than anyone can think," he said.

Akhtar has struggled throughout his 14-year career with problems with his knee joints and hands, having played in 162 one-day internationals since making his debut in 1997 against the West Indies in his hometown, Rawalpindi.

He was not 100 per cent fit before being picked for the World Cup, but coach Waqar Younis believes that even a half-fit 35-year-old fast bowler could still be a nightmare for other teams.

The paceman — dubbed the "Rawalpindi Express" — did not disappoint his coach last weekend in Pakistan's nervy 11-run win over co-host Sri Lanka, taking two wickets for 42 runs off his 10 overs.

He got rid off Mahela Jayawardene with a delivery that swung back into the right-hander and knocked back the middle stump as Sri Lanka slumped to 96-4 from a solid 76-0 while chasing 278.

Pakistan defeated Kenya by 205 runs in its first Group A match, in which Akhtar bowled five overs to get into the rhythm.

Akhtar said Pakistan should have won by "at least 80 runs" against Sri Lanka after knocking over the top order, but he still felt a number of critics had been silenced.

"We should be more composed, but we lost (an) edge ... when Sri Lanka chased," he said. But he added: "Those who were writing us off and rating Sri Lanka as favourites, they are not able to talk now."

As for his side's prospects at the World Cup, he said: "We are dark horses and that's fine."


Keywords: Latest sports news, indian cricket, tennis, chess, football, world cup,