Lahore May 08: The Pakistan Cricket Board, which let off Shoaib Akhtar with a warning after its medical commission found allegations of faked injury by the bowler inconclusive, has said the Rawalpindi express has to demonstrate discipline and would not be accorded any special treatment based on his reputation. The board has similarly cautioned the other four players -- Umar Gul, Moin Khan, Shabbir Ahmed and Abdul Razzaq -- who appeared before the commission that they need to demonstrate 150 per cent commitment to the team's cause.

The board said X-rays of Akhtar's chests and wrists taken immediately after his fall in the second day of the final test against India at Rawalpindi on the 14th of April showed that they were normal. As per an MRI scan taken on April 17, no rib fracture was noted.

"Three out of four consultants assessed the MRI scan not to reveal injury in the rib region while the fourth noted 'muscle contusion with focal hemorrhages and edema'," it said.

It said, "Subsequently, a bone scan taken on April 28 revealed damage around the 11th rib suggesting that Shoaib Akhtar had sustained injury to his rib but there was no conclusive evidence that the injury had been sustained at the time of his fall or that Shoaib Akhtar had been carrying the injury for sometime past."

The commission was concerned at the diffused nature of the injury, noting that it did not show up on MRI images of the bone and muscles surrounding it that is usually observed in increased signal intensity and MRI in the affected area.

Bureau Report