Express derailed by injury

Shoaib: Never got to wear his Notts shirt in a match

The world's fastest bowler, Shoaib Akhtar, has been released from his contract by Nottinghamshire after a recurrence of his career-threatening rib injury.

The county side say he needs rest and time to work on readjusting his bowling action to prevent the problem from occurring again.

The 24-year-old arrived at Trent Bridge last week from Pakistan's tour of the West Indies with what was thought to be a side strain.

The initial prognosis was that the injury would take about 10 days to heal but further tests showed he is suffering from rib-tip syndrome, which causes a rib to jam against his pelvis when bowling.

"The news is devastating for us and for Shoaib," said Notts cricket manager Clive Rice.

In full cry during last year's World Cup

"Since he arrived he has proved to be a very popular member of the staff and I know our supporters will be extremely disappointed that the injury will prevent him from playing."

Shoaib, nicknamed 'The Rawalpindi Express', had been looking forward to making a fresh start with Notts following a winter in which he was dogged by injuries and controversy over the legality of his bowling action.

County officials now have to decide whether to seek another overseas player for the rest of the summer.

New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns is likely to be their first choice, having played for the county for several seasons in the 1990s.

Notts are currently sixth in Division Two of the County Championship and second in the second tier of the one-day National League.