CHRISTCHURCH (Agencies) - Pakistan one-day captain Shahid Afridi has indicated a limited role for experienced fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar in the remaining matches in New Zealand and next month's World Cup in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. After Pakistan's win over New Zealand in Christchurch yesterday, Afridi said that Akhtar was left out of the match as he still needed to work harder on his fitness and form. "Shoaib might be given a chance to play if we manage to win the series in the next two games," Afridi said. "He is working hard in the nets and our coach Waqar Younis is spending lot of time with him. It is clear he still needs to work hard on his fitness and form," Afridi added. The seasoned fast bowler played in the first one-dayer that Pakistan lost and was then left out in the next two matches indicating a reduced role for him in the coming World Cup. Afridi made his impressions about Shoaib clear after the first one-dayer when he said that he thought the fast bowler had struggled in the match and their might be changes in the remaining matches. Pakistan preferred to play Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Sohail Tanvir in the second and third ODIs. "Shoaib needs to be match fit and should train. [Coach] Waqar Younis is working hard with him," Afridi maintained. Shoaib didn't play in the last World Cup because of doping offence and fitness issues but featured in the 1999 and 2003 World Cups making an impact in some of the matches. The 35-year-old fast bowler who has taken 242 wickets in 158 one-day internationals has been a regular member of the T20 and ODI teams since last year and is said to be one of the main players who are supporting Afridi for the World Cup captaincy. Sources within the team said that Afridi and Waqar appear to now think that in the sub-continental conditions in the World Cup, it would be better to bank on the younger pace bowlers instead of Shoaib who would have a limited role to play in what should be his last World Cup. Afridi also said after the third ODI in which he starred with a cracking 65 from 25 balls that the team management would not follow a rotation policy in the remaining three one-day games in New Zealand. "Their will be no rotation policy and we will play our best team because we want to win this series and the more matches we win it will mean we will go into the World Cup with our confidence and morale sky high," he added. The flamboyant all-rounder said that other teams might be opting for a rotation policy to prepare for the World Cup but the Pakistan team management first wanted to be sure about its best first eleven combinations for the World Cup. "If we manage to win the series in New Zealand then we will think about rotating players," he said. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt in all likelihood will announce Shahid Afridi as the captain of the Pakistan team for the upcoming World Cup although some players back Misbah-ul Haq as the leader. According to sources, Butt has decided to now stick with Afridi as captain although there is still a divided opinion about the fact that some consider Misbah to be a better choice. The scales seemed to have heavily tilted in favour of Afridi after the dashing batsman smashed 65 off only 25 deliveries during Pakistan's series levelling win against New Zealand yesterday. "Butt has come to the conclusion after discussing the captaincy issue with the team management and others that it would be unwise to change the captain at such a stage and since Afridi has been the ODI captain since late 2009," a source indicated. He said the board would most likely end the captaincy debate by announcing the captain in next 24 hours. There was plenty of debate in the cricketing circles after the PCB announced the World Cup squad of 15 players last month but didn't name the captain. Many former players consider Afridi to be too temperamental to be given the responsibility of captaining in the World Cup and others warning against changing the captain at so late a stage. Former Pakistan captain, Shoaib Malik has also added his voice to the captaincy debate supporting Afridi. "I don't think it is a good move to change the captain now. When Afridi is leading the team since the last one year, it makes no sense to change him now," Malik said. Malik also called on the board to follow a consistent policy while appointing a captain. "Anyone who is appointed captain should be given a long run to prove himself. A captain must be given security and assurance he will be there for a proper period of time that way even the players will throw their full weight behind him. Changing captains frequently has already damaged the team in the past," Malik said.