A couple of minutes later, he sprinted toward the batsman — Mohammad Hafeez — and tried hurling the new ball with express pace but the opener comfortably drove it away. Akhtar just stood there for a few seconds, trying to catch his breath.

If the enigmatic fast bowler still has some fire left in his belly, he is hiding it very well.

Experts including Imran Khan, the former Pakistan captain, are backing him to play against India. The bowler, himself, is also very keen to have a crack at the home team. But so far the signs are not very heartening for Akhtar.

After including him in their 15-man World Cup squad, Pakistan have used him in just three matches, overlooking him while picking the playing eleven for their last four games including the quarterfinal against West Indies in Dhaka.

Akhtar, 35, completed his full quote of ten overs in just one those three games - against Sri Lanka when he played an important role in Pakistan's 11-run triumph over the co-hosts. But in Pakistan's very next game he gave away 70 off 9 including a 28-run over that has forced the team management to keep him out of the line-up.

Even Akhtar's emotional announcement that he will retire after the ongoing World Cup failed to make the officials change their mind.

But in spite of the repeated snubs, Akhtar remains one of the main talking points in the lead up to the eagerly-awaited World Cup semifinal against India.

On Sunday, as Pakistan's players took part in a training sessions the photographers on duty kept clicking Akhtar as he bowled and even when he wasn't in action.

The media, especially local TV channels and some newspapers are obsessed with the Akhtar issue and are repeating the same question again and again: Whether Pakistan will recall him for the big game against India? So far the team sources say that Akhtar's inclusion in the playing eleven remains highly unlikely.

However, the player received a vote of confidence from his vice-captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, here on Sunday.

"If he does play in the coming matches, I feel it will give us a psychological advantage," Misbah told reporters here after his team's training session here.

"Shoaib Akhtar is a class bowler. He has performed for Pakistan on a number of occasions including the 1999 World Cup (when the team lost to Australia in the final)," he added.

Misbah said that Pakistan are benefiting from Akhtar, even though he has been out of action for quite some time. "Batsmen prepare themselves when they face him at the nets."