Akhtar left behind due to illness for England tour

Islamabad, May 2: A 16-member Pakistan cricket team left on a two-month tour of England on Wednesday with speedster Shoaib Akhtar not accompanying the squad due to illness.

Akhtar, who is suffering from stomach problems and fever, will leave for England a few days later, Pakistan Cricket Board sources said.

Pakistan will play two Tests with England and participate in a triangular one-day series which will also involve Australia.

PCB on Tuesday appointed South Africa-based Englishman Richard Pybus as coach on the tour. The coach's place was vacant for around a month after Javed Miandad was sacked from the post early last month following the team's lacklustre performance on the tour of New Zealand in March.

Pybus, whose earlier stint as Pakistan coach had ended in an abrupt dismissal in 1999 when the team was blanked 3-0 by Australia down under, was chosen in addition to the Australian Daryl Foster who has been appointed as bowling coach.

"We have gone for his (Pybus') appointment after going through his impressive credentials and previous experience as coach. Knowing that he has worked before with Pakistani players, I feel confident (of his doing well)," PCB chief Gen Tauqir Zia said.

Team: Waqar Younis (capt), Inzmam-ul Haq, Saeed Anwar, Imaran Farhat, Mohd Wasim, Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Faisal Iqbal, Salim Ilahi, Rashid Latif, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Azhar Mahmod, Abdur Razaq, Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmad.