Shoaib distressed at being left out

Shoaib Akthar has expressed his disappointed after being excluded from the Pakistan squad for the West Indies tour and has hit back at the selectors, saying he was not given a chance to prove his fitness before the team was picked.

"I am very upset and disappointed that they have not picked me for the West Indies tour," Shoaib told Mid Day, a Mumbai-based tabloid. "Missing the Indian tour due to injury was a big blow for me and I was very keen to make a comeback in this series. They could at least have called me and asked me to go through a proper fitness test and medical check-up before taking a decision."

Shoaib, 29, was not part of the 17-member squad announced on Monday, despite showing an impressive return to form with 5 for 23 in a Twenty20 game, as the selectors felt he was overweight and needed more time to regain full match fitness. However, he felt that the selectors' assessment was a bit over the top. "I don't think I am overweight," he said. "It is just that I have not played enough first-class games since recovering from my injury because the domestic season has come to an end. But in the matches that I have played I have bowled my full overs and taken wickets."