By IANS
Johannesburg : Temperamental Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar has been sent home from South Africa following a dressing tiff with fellow fast bowler Mohammad Asif after practice, it was announced Friday.
“A decision has been taken to call back Shoaib after an initial inquiry,” said Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Shafqat Nagmi, who is here for Monday’s International Cricket Council’s annual awards ceremony and the opening of the Twenty20 World Championships the day after.
Asif was struck on his leg with a bat by Shoaib Thursday soon after the team arrived in South Africa from Nairobi after taking part in a quadrangular Twenty20 tournament with Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda. Asif suffered a bruised thigh as a result of the clash.
Pakistan team’s media manager Ahsan Malik confirmed that Asif would be fit to play Pakistan’s opening game of the tournament against Scotland Wednesday in Durban.
“Asif has a bruise on his left thigh but he has had X-rays and has been cleared. He is fine as far as I am aware” Malik told the media.
The 32-year-old Shoaib, who has played only one Test and four one-day internationals in the past 16 months, was already on probation for a disciplinary breach last month. He was fined for leaving a training camp in Karachi without permission, but after two hearings the penalty was suspended and the bowler placed on a six-week probation.
Shoaib and Asif had returned to the Pakistan side after missing the ICC Champions Trophy last year because of doping allegations.