By IANS,
Karachi : Pakistan cricket’s chief selector Abdul Qadir has asked fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar to prove his fitness if he wanted to be considered for this summer’s World Twenty20 Championship in England.
Qadir said a �fully-fit’ Shoaib is a huge asset for Pakistan cricket and will certainly be considered for national duty in the 2009 World Twenty20 Championship to be held in June.
Pakistan is scheduled to select its preliminary squad for the tournament by the end of this month.
Shoaib was overlooked for the Test series against Sri Lanka and also for Bangladesh tour after being sidelined during the One-day International series against Sri Lanka in January because of poor performance.
The 33-year-old Shoaib is keen to resume his international career but Qadir made it clear that like all other national cricketers, the player will have to prove his fitness.
Shoaib missed the inaugural World Twenty20 Championship held in South Africa in 2007 though he was initially a part of the Pakistan squad.
But he was sent back home from South Africa just before the start of the event after a dressing room fight with fellow pacer Mohammad Asif. Pakistan went on to qualify for the final only to lose against India.