Shoaib's Surrey Stint Given Green Light

Akhtar - could be in action next week.

The Pakistan Cricket Board have backed Shoaib Akhtar's proposed move to England.

Akhtar has not played for Pakistan this year, but is hoping to finalise a deal with Surrey, who are currently bottom of the LV County Championship Division One table by 18 points with only three matches to play and are strong favourites to be one of the two teams to be relegated.

Surrey cricket manager Alan Butcher is planning to have Shoaib available in time for next week's crunch match against title-chasing Kent at Canterbury, although one potential snag is legal documentation which requires all overseas players to spend at least three weeks in England.

"We have cleared Shoaib to play county cricket and have given him a no objection certificate," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi told the News.

"Shoaib has been out of competitive cricket for quite sometime and needs to regain his match fitness.

"We believe a short county stint might help him in doing that."

Shoaib, 33, is hoping to press his claims for a recall to the Pakistan team, with his five-year ban following altercations with the national board recently rescinded.

Recently, the PCB denied players such as Umar Gul and Ifthikar Rao permission to play for county clubs.

"We had stopped our fast bowlers from playing for counties because such stints had affected their form and fitness," he added.

"Mohammad Asif and Rana Naved-ul-Hassan both suffered major injuries while playing county cricket.

"But Shoaib's case is different.

"He hasn't played much cricket this year. In fact a county stint could actually benefit him."

Shoaib - who played the last of his 46 Tests last December, shortly after his final one-day international - was recalled to the Pakistan squad for the Champions Trophy, which should have taken place next month but has been postponed because of security concerns.

He has previously played for Worcestershire and Durham and also signed for Nottinghamshire but never made it onto the pitch.