Wasim Akram gives his reaction to the announcement

The verdict of a Pakistani judicial commission investigation into claims by former pace bowler Atta-ur Rehman that Akram tried to bribe him to play poorly against New Zealand is expected to announced in a few days.

Akram welcomed the return of the captaincy saying he was confident it meant he had been cleared of any wrong-doing.

Akram: In action against England at The Oval

"It's very important not only for me but also for all the cricketers in Pakistan.

"People all over the world should now know that no one has done anything wrong.

"The reputation of cricket has been ruined because of this. Why did we have to wait for years for these allegations to come out?"

Accuser accused

Salim Malik and Ijaz Ahmed were also accused by Rehman, who has since retracted his claims and could face charges of perjury.

But the judge running the judicial enquiry, Justice Malik Qayyum, has told the BBC he will not finish his report until the end of the week and does not yet know whether he will clear the players.

The judge said he had no objection to Akram being reinstated, since he had not suspended him in the first place, but said that it should not pre-judge the outcome of his enquiry.

Qayyum will pass his report to the the President of Pakistan, Rafiq Tarar, who has the power to impose punishment if the players are found guilty.

Two-day wait

Earlier in the year the trio were cleared by Pakistan's Accountability Bureau of throwing the World Cup Final against Australia by Pakistan's Accountability Bureau.

But it was ruled that their playing bans would not be lifted until after the commission's separate inquiry.

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mujib ur Rehman Khan said he was happy to reappoint his World Cup skipper even though the verdict has yet to be announced.

He said: "The Pakistan Cricket Board is pleased to announce Wasim Akram as captain of the Pakistan side for the Toronto mini-series.

Akram to face Windies

"The report from the inquiry has been sent to the president of the PCB and we will know within the next two to three days what the outcome is."

Pakistan play West Indies in three limited overs internationals from 16 September and Moin Khan was initially named captain while the commission was still in session.

It was initiated by the Pakistan Government in September 1998 to hear several claims of match-fixing including those levelled by former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, ex-PCB executive Majid Khan, Sarfraz Nawaz and Basit Ali.

They failed to appear at the hearing.

The commission heard testimony from 70 people, including players, bookies, journalists and officials, during more than 40 hearings.