Karachi: Pace bowler Fazle Akbar is to fly to South Africa, as reinforcement for the injury-stricken Pakistan team ahead of its two-match Test series there, officials said on Saturday.

"Team management has sent an SOS for a pace bowler as Mohammad Sami has suffered a minor shoulder injury," a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman said.

Pakistan meets South Africa in the first Test at Cape Town from December 26. The 22- year-old Akbar took 95 wickets in Pakistan's last domestic season but was surprisingly left off the national squad.

He was expected to be among the country's 30 probables for next year's World Cup. Pakistan, having lost the One-day series to South Africa 4-1, faces injury problems with express pacer Shoaib Akhtar already ruled out of the Test series.

Veteran pacer Wasim Akram has returned home after featuring in the One-day series, having saying he was not available for the Tests.

Copyright AFP 2001