KARACHI (Reuters)
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has again turned to Daryl Foster and the University of Western Australia to help try to rescue controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar's career.

Shoaib's short but enigmatic career is in danger of being ended prematurely after International Cricket Council (ICC) match officials reported him for a third time since December 1999 - and for the second time since March - for a suspect bowling action after the recent one-day tournament in Sharjah.

PCB Chairman Lt General Tauqir Zia told Reuters: "We have spoken to bowling coach Daryl Foster and his team of experts at the biomechanics department of the University of Western Australia in Perth to view footage of Shoaib's bowling in Sharjah and let us have some feedback.

"What we want to know is if there is substance in the suspicions raised by match officials in Sharjah and if his bowling action has undergone any deterioration in the last few months.

"We also want to know if the experts can change his bowling action or it cannot be changed because of his inherent medical problem due to which there is hyper-mobility in the joints of his bowling arm."

The biomechanics department in Perth earlier this year cleared Shoaib's bowling action after working with him and also submitted a medical report which said he had hyper-mobility in his bowling arm joints, sometimes giving impression he was throwing the ball.

Foster, who works at the university, is also a top-class coach and was used as a consultant by Pakistan during their tour of England earlier this year.

Zia said Shoaib would not be sent to Perth for the moment. "As it is he is going to Sydney to play club cricket. If the need arises he can easily be flown to Perth for a workout with the experts after they view his footage," he said.

Zia argued that if the experts believed Shoaib's bowling action could not be changed because of his unique physique, the ICC had to permit him to play.

Zia added that the visit to Pakistan of West Indian great Michael Holding, appointed by the ICC to work with Shoaib, would be delayed. "We don't want to keep Holding waiting. But first we want a opinion from the Perth institute on the Sharjah footage."

If Shoaib were to be reported for a third time within a 12-month period he could face a year's ban from the game.

The head of the PCB said he had discussed the matter at length with ICC Chairman Malcolm Gray and appealed for Shoaib to be treated as a special case because he had an "inherent medical problem".

Zia added that Gray intended to speak to ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed about the bowling action review process. "Gray has said that if any flaws are found in the existing bowling action review procedure like we say, it could be debated upon and even be put to the executive board."

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd