Cricket: Akhtar's back, he's even quicker, and he has a point to make

Speedster Shoaib Akhtar gave a warning yesterday as he recalled the headlines over his early exit from Pakistan's last tour of New Zealand.

"'Limping chucker going back home' - that was the sort of headline I remember when I left New Zealand last time," he said after his arrival in Auckland.

"My career was almost finished here. Now I'm going to restart my career back in New Zealand. I'm going to prove myself once again."

In early 2001, he returned home after that season's one-day series and before the three tests against New Zealand after the legality of his bowling action was questioned by umpires Steve Dunne and Doug Cowie.

Pakistani management said his premature departure was because of a thigh injury that sidelined him for two of the five one-dayers.

It was the second occasion in just over a year that his action had been officially questioned. He was temporarily banned in Perth in November 1999.

Known as the Rawalpindi Express, Akhtar is bracketed with Australian Brett Lee as the world's quickest bowler.

Both were clocked at more than 160km/h (100mph) during this year's World Cup.

Akhtar also went over 160km/h against the Black Caps in Lahore last year, when he returned career-best one-day international figures of six for 16.

Akhtar wasn't licking his lips, at least not in public, at the prospect of a green top at Westpac Park in Hamilton for the first test next week, saying it was a case of wait and see.

"It's something to figure out for later on," he said. "We'll see what happens."

Besides Akhtar, the Pakistanis have another speedster in Mohammad Sami, and coach Javed Miandad said the pair provided the basis for "a very balanced bowling attack."

"We have two good bowlers," he said. "They bowl like, 95 or 94 miles an hour [Sami] and 99 [Akhtar]."

Next year, Akhtar will return to play for Durham as the English club's second overseas player.

"Shoaib is one of the world's greatest bowlers and we are delighted that he is coming back to Durham for a second season," the country side's captain, Jon Lewis, said yesterday.

"He was a prolific wicket-taker during his short time with us last year."

Akhtar will be joining forces with South African Herschelle Gibbs.

"We are expecting great performances from Shoaib and Herschelle," Lewis said. "But they will also play an important part in the development of our young talented players."

- NZPA