Lahore, May 8: Enigmatic Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar, said he leaves it to the PCB and selectors to decide if his service is required for the Asia Cup to be held in Sri Lanka next month. The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ has decided to leave tomorrow to join his county Durham. ''If they (PCB) want me, they will obviously let me and my country know. If they don’t require me, so be it,'' Shoaib said.
Shoaib said that playing for Pakistan was always his top priority, his other commitments being secondary. He said his decision to opt out of the one-day series against Sri Lanka in Malaysia later this month was because of the stress injury in his lower left back. ''I will even play for Durham only after completely recovering from this injury, not before that, even though I will join them on Monday,'' he said. The Asia Cup tournament is being held this year after a gap of four years. The last edition of the Asia Cup was held in Dhaka in June 2000, which Pakistan won, beating India in the final. Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have already confirmed their participation for the year with associate members Hong Kong and the UAE. Bureau Report