Rameez Raja asks Pakistan team management to use Akhtar properly

Lahore, Jan.22 (ANI): Former Pakistan cricket Captain Rameez Raja has asked the national cricket selectors and the Pakistan team management to use the services of their premier fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar judiciously, as the pacer struggled to make a mark in his first international game after a gap of more than an year in the match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

Raza also raised questions on Akhtar's match fitness and preparedness to play in Test matches against Sri Lanka.

"They have to decide how to use him and when to play him. Obviously there is a question mark about his fitness and readiness to play the Tests against Sri Lanka," the Nation quoted him, as saying.

Just after another former skipper and fast bowler Waqar Younis had advised Akhtar to concentrate more on one-day games and stop playing five day matches, Raza also hinted that he (Akhtar) should concentrate on only one form of the game.

"The selectors and team management must decide how to nurse Akhtar through the remainder of his career and also decide in which form of the game to use him," he said.

Commenting on the future of pace bowling in Pakistan, Raza said there is no dearth of talent in the country but it has to be nurtured properly.

"There are lot of aspiring and talented young bowlers in Pakistan and one has to give them a chance sometime in the near future," he said.

Raza however, differed from Waqar over the idea of not playing on any neutral venue.He said that playing cricket should be more important rather than the place where the game is being played.

"Pakistan should not hesitate to play at neutral venues as it was important for them to get some match practice. The revenues might not be the same as it would be if they play at home but at least we will get some cricket," he said. (ANI)