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Akhtar vows to regain reputation

Shoaib Akhtar reacts during the final day of the third Test between India and Pakistan in Bangalore, India, on Wednesday. PHOTO: AFP

Stung by criticism over his form and fitness on the India tour, Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar on Friday vowed to regain his reputation as one of the most fearsome bowlers in the world.

An inconsistent Pakistan lost the one-dayers 3-2 to their arch-rivals before a 1-0 loss in the three-match Test series, their first defeat in India in the longer version of the game in more than two decades.

Akhtar, 32, failed to live up to his tag of match-winner, struggling with his fitness in the last two Tests, which saw him frequently limp off the ground.

A half-fit Akhtar could only manage nine wickets in three Tests, prompting legendary Pakistan cricketer Imran Khan to question his place in the side.

Akhtar said it was unfair to judge him harshly as he was making a comeback to international cricket after a 13-match ban.

"I want to come back strongly and prove my worth to everyone. It is not easy to regain your rhythm after not playing for so long," he said in an interview. "I know where the faults are now, personally I have learnt a lot from this series."

Akhtar, no stranger to controversies, was banned primarily for striking team-mate Mohammad Asif with a bat ahead of the inaugural Twenty20 world championships in South Africa in September.

"One should not forget that it was my comeback series, I agree I am not in the peak of my fitness but I gave my best. I tried the best that I could," Akhtar said.

Akhtar, who even had to be hospitalized on the eve of the second Test in Kolkata for a chest infection, said Pakistan needed more match-winners in the side.

"I can't win Test matches on my own. Imran had players like [leg spinner Abdul] Qadir and Wasim [Akram] to back him up or Sarfraz [Nawaz] earlier. You can't expect one bowler to win a series on his own," he said.

Akhtar said the team sorely missed the services of injured new-ball bowlers Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul.

"There was no one to build up the pressure on the Indian batsmen from the other end. I'm not blaming my team-mates -- if Mohammad Sami had been around with me, Asif and Gul, the outcome of the series would have been different," Akhtar said.

"It is not fair to expect too much from inexperienced youngsters at this level," he said.

Akhtar also admitted that he should not have played in the Kolkata Test.

"In hindsight I shouldn't have played but I was only trying to serve my country and do the right thing," he said.

Among the Indian batsmen, Akhtar said it was Sourav Ganguly who impressed him the most with his belligerent strokemaking.

"I found Ganguly the most challenging to bowl to. In the second innings of the first Test, he batted very well. I don't know what he has done [to his batting] but he has been simply superb," he said.

Akhtar, who has stayed back in India owing to personal commitments, also revealed that he had been offered acting roles.

"Three, four producers have approached me with offers to act in Bollywood films. But I have not signed anything yet," he said.
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