Players reach Kakul for physical training

LAHORE - The Pakistan cricket team's selected players reached Kakul for extensive training in the Army training base before their final squad announcement for next month's for-nation Twenty20 Tournament in Toronto Canada.

A day before the team left for Kakul, all the selected 30 players underwent dope testing.

The World Anti Doping Agency conducted dope tests on all available players in the National Cricket Academy, Lahore on Sunday.

Dr. Sohail Saleem, the PCB official who assisted the doctors from WADA, later told media that only Younis Khan, Yasir Arafat, Azhar Ali and Bazid Khan missed the tests because of prior commitments abroad.

On question about when the test results are expected, Dr. Saleem said the process would take time as it involves sending the samples out of the country.

Meanwhile, controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is not, as reports suggested, being considered for the Canada 4-nation tournament.

Though the 18-month ban on Pakistani pace bowler Akhtar is lifted till the writ petition is heard in September, he is not under consideration for the Twenty20 tournament scheduled to be played in mid-August in Toronto.

"The competition will take place over four days from August 14 with Pakistan, West Indies, Bangaldesh and host Canada. We are yet to chose the team for this event but Shoaib Akhtar is unlikely to figure in this tournament," a PCB official was quoted by a website.