Karachi, Nov. 9 : Pakistan cricket team coach Intikhab Alam has expressed happiness over the return to form of speedster Shoaib Akhtar ahead of the three-match One-day International series against the West Indies that kicks off in Abu Dhabi from November 12.

Exuding confidence about his side, Alam said Akhtar has regained the sort of speed that once made him the most feared pacer in international cricket, while the rest of the team is also itching to get back into action.

He also said that the wins Abu Dhabi would help build team morale ahead of the important home series against India in January-February 2009.

Cricket-starved Pakistan are looking to gain some vital match practice from the brief series that comes almost seven weeks before India arrives here to play three Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 International.

“We have an important series against India coming up soon which is why it’s vital for us to do well in these one-dayers,” The News quoted Alam, as saying.

He said that the good news for Pakistan is that Akhtar is bowling fast and seems to be in fine nick.

Intikhab is expecting the conditions to be good in Abu Dhabi at this time of the year.

Pakistan squad: Shoaib Malik (captain), Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Khalid Latif, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal
(wicket-keeper), Sohail Tanvir, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Abdul Rauf and Saeed Ajmal. (ANI)