Cricket: Shoaib played against doctors' advice

RAWALPINDI - Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said today he had played in the one-day series with England against doctors' advice.

Shoaib, 30, told reporters doctors had advised him to rest for six weeks after he had bruised his ankle badly during the test series.

"I played in pain and with the injury simply because we are a very united team at the moment and I wanted to be part of the one-day series," he said.

Pakistan won the three-test series 2-0 and then took the one-day series 3-2. England won the final match by six runs.

Shoaib took 17 wickets in the tests and led Pakistan's comeback in the one-day series with five wickets in the second game at Lahore after England had won the first.

"I think we played very well to beat a side who had come here after winning the Ashes," he said. "The boys worked very hard for this series and deserve this success."

- REUTERS