Karachi: Shoaib Akhtar has said that World Cup organisers had dished out a difficult seaming track for Pakistan’s match against Ireland because he and Mohammed Asif were missing from the team line-up.

“Shoaib told the probe committee today he did not think the organisers would have prepared a seaming track for the Ireland game if he and Asif had played for Pakistan. He said their absence encouraged the organisers to prepare such a track,” a PCB source said.

Shoaib, Asif and senior batsman, Mohammed Yousuf appeared before the probe committee on Wednesday in Lahore which has to submit its report by the first week of May.

“Shoaib felt that the pitch prepared for the Ireland match was not fit for one-day cricket and it was unfair for the organisers to have made Pakistan play on the track.”