Off-field drama overshadows Pakistani match Tuesday, January 09, 2007 05:01 [IST]
Kimberley:
Off-field drama overshadowed the action on the field as the match between the
touring Pakistanis and the Rest of South Africa ended in a tame draw at the De
Beers Diamond Oval.
While coach Bob Woomer said injured fast bowler Umar Gul
would be assessed Wednesday after suffering an ankle injury which restricted
him to three overs in the Rest's innings, it was announced in Pakistan that
controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar would be joining the team as cover for
Gul.
Akhtar will join fellow fast bowler Mohammad Asif in South Africa
after both men had bans for drug use overturned by a Pakistani tribunal.
Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq again did not appear on the field because
of a chest infection, while it was reported in Pakistan
that star batsman Mohammad Yousuf might not play in the three-Test series
against South Africa,
starting at Centurion Thursday.
Yousuf was due to join the side in South Africa after returning from hajj in Saudi Arabia
but this was reportedly delayed because his wife, who is expecting a baby, had
suffered complications.
On the field, the Rest's captain Morne van Wyk and
left-hander Arno Jacobs made centuries in a fifth wicket stand of 188, enabling
the South African side to make 383 and bat until shortly before tea on the
final day. |