ISLAMABAD, 19 May 2005 — Pakistan’s discarded pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar said yesterday he would do all he could to fight child hunger around the world by lending his support to a UN World Food Program campaign.

“I am ready to deliver to the best of my ability and give my last drop of blood to help eradicate child hunger,” Akhtar said at a campaign launch in Islamabad.

Akhtar said he would take part on June 14 in one of a number of walks to be held in world cities aimed at raising funds to help starving children and for child education.

“I love kids and want to participate in as many events as I can to help the children of the world and would come for a day from my county assignment in England to participate in the walk,” said Akhtar, who has been dropped by Pakistan for their current tour of the West Indies.WFP also launched yesterday a program to help the victims of last year’s tsunami in South Asia, and Akhtar showed his willingness to tour the tsunami-affected areas.

“As and when I get time I do charity and social work. I am ready to go to tsunami-affected areas and raise funds for them,” said Akhtar, who has visited child cancer patients in India and Pakistan on several occasions.

Shoaib Bowling Action Will Face Further Scrutiny: ICC

In London, Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik’s bowling action could face further scrutiny despite being cleared by biomechanical experts in South Africa, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday.

The 23-year-old’s delivery action was examined at the Sports Institute in Cape Town after he was reported last October following a one-day series against Sri Lanka.

Shoaib resumed bowling last month in the one-day series in India after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) asked the ICC to clear his action on medical grounds.

In stating that his action was greatly improved, however, the ICC maintained that no bowler can be cleared indefinitely.

In a letter to the PCB, ICC General Manager (Cricket) David Richardson said that match officials had noted a considerable improvement in Shoaib’s bowling action.

“We are pleased to note that Shoaib appears to have made improvements to his action and that he was recorded as bowling within the levels of tolerance of elbow extension as laid down in the ICC regulations by the biomechanical research commissioned by the PCB,” said Richardson in the letter.