Lawson wants Shoaib to give up Test cricket

	Geoff Lawson has lost faith in Shoiab Akhtar as a Test bowler © AFP

Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson, in his tour report on the away series against India, has advised against the selection of Shoaib Akhtar for Tests, so that the fast bowler can prolong his international career.

"I have made that suggestion [that Shoaib should not be considered for Tests], but I have spoken to Shoaib about it and the idea is it would prolong his career," Lawson said yesterday. "Maybe he would be better just playing ODIs because of his reliability factor for Test match cricket.

"A lot of players are doing it -- specialising in one mode. I just feel that he is important for the team and if he is more comfortable in the one-day mode, he should concentrate on it instead of Test cricket."

Shoaib has only played four Tests since 2007, and though he took nine wickets at 33.11 in the three-Test series against India, he was plagued by injuries, missing out of the most part of the third Test in Bangalore.

Meanwhile, Shoaib is in further trouble with reports that the PCB have filed a strong chargesheet against him for his comments against the board after being overlooked for a central contract, and his subsequent refusal to explain his comments. His latest tiff with the board could result in a life ban as he is on a two-year probation period, as part of the punishment he received for his infamous altercation with Mohammad Asif at the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa last August