Shoaib targets West Indies tour

Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said he is now targeting next month's tour of West Indies after his hopes of joining the team during the ongoing India-Pakistan series crashed last week, after he was down with fever last week.

"I am now focusing on the West Indies tour. I want to play for my country and perform," Shoaib said from Lahore.

"I don't want to make any big statements like I will come with a bang or something like that. I would not like to be selective and would prefer to play in both the forms of the game," he added.

"I missed a [domestic one-day] game because I had fever. But I had conveyed the selectors about my availability [for the Indian tour]. Nevertheless, I wish Inzamam-ul-Haq and his team the very best in the one-day series," he said.

Shoaib, who missed the second half of Australian tour and the Indian series due to hamstring injury, last week played his first competitive game in Lahore and had figures of 7-1-22-4.

Ironically, when Pakistan last toured the West Indies under Moin Khan in 2000, Shoaib played just single one-day game and missed the rest of the tri-nation one-day series and three-Test series because of injuries.

The injuries eventually forced Nottinghamshire to cancel his contract for the season.

The charismatic bowler said he will lead Khan Research Laboratory in the domestic Patron's Cup one-day tournament semi-final against WAPDA scheduled for Wednesday.