Lahore, Apr 04: Pakistan`s famed pace bowlers are facing the heat. With their reputation taking a beating, spearhead Shoaib Akhtar has offered to withdraw from the second Test against India after he went wicketless in the first at Multan. Shoaib told captain Inzamam-ul Haq and coach Javed Miandad that he was not keen to play the second test as he was totally disappointed with his own form and had let the team down, `The News` quoted a team source as saying. ``Shoaib offered to step down in the larger interest of the team saying he was not enjoying peak form at the moment against India. But was told that instead of feeling depressed and disappointed he should just concentrate on making amends in the second Test as he remained the team`s main strike bowler,`` the source added. ``Inzamam and Miandad told Shoaib that it would not be right for him to withdraw from such an important Test when the team was still depending a lot on him,`` he said, adding ``Shoaib then agreed to play the second Test.`` The source said Inzamam had given Shoaib and the other bowlers a piece of his mind before the fifth day`s play in Multan and since then the fast bowler had been feeling down and depressed.
``Inzamam simply told Shoaib and Sami that it was time they delivered and the team could no longer be depending on their reputations,`` the source added.
The `Rawalpindi Express`, who took 27 wickets in Pakistan`s three Test wins against Bangladesh, South Africa and New Zealand since last August, returned figures of none for 119 against India in the first Test.
Bureau Report