Butt rules out Shoaib Akhtar making a comeback

Karachi:

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt believes it is next to impossible for controversial and injury-plagued pacer Shoaib Akhtar to make a comeback to the national team.

A cricket website reported that Butt had told the media on his visit to England that chances of Shoaib's comeback were remote. Butt said having undergone a knee surgery and liposuction, he didn't see Shoaib making a comeback.

The 34-year-old Shoaib underwent a knee operation in England and then returned home to have a liposuction surgery to remove fat from his body.

Doctors, who carried out the liposuction surgery, advised the pacer a recovery period of three to four months before resuming competitive cricket again.

But sources close to Shoaib said despite the PCB Chairman's comments, the fast bowler has made up his mind to stake a claim in the team for the 2011 World Cup which would be his final swansong.

"The reason he has had the knee surgery and liposuction at his own cost is that he wants to make a proper comeback and play for a year or two for Pakistan without any fitness issues. No one realises this but his knee problem has troubled him a lot in recent years," one source said.

The source said Shoaib would try to convince the selectors and PCB about his fitness by playing in domestic cricket.