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England may insist on Akram's exclusion

England may refuse to play the forthcoming Test series against Pakistan unless fast bowler and former captain Wasim Akram is dropped from the rival team.

England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Lord MacLaurin will demand that Akram be left out to demonstrate that the cricketing world is getting tough on match-fixing and corruption in the game, News of the World, an English tabloid, reported on Sunday.

Akram's fate is to be decided at the International Cricket Council meeting in late June. The Justice Qayyum inquiry report into the match-fixing scandal had recommended that he be fined, though the report also admitted that there was no concrete evidence against him.

Akram was dropped as a commentator by Channel 4 on Friday. "Channel 4 does not wish to compromise its ability to cover the [match-fixing] issue," the TV station's spokesman said yesterday.

England is scheduled to tour Pakistan this winter, for the first time in more than 12 years. But there are fears in England that Lord MacLaurin's highly publicised tough stand could provoke a backlash that splits the cricketing world.

Several British newspapers have reported that the Asian cricket-playing countries -- India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh -- will form a breakaway group and promote a mini-world series backed possibly by Zee Television. But Zee TV has denied any such move.

A row over Akram's fate could worsen relations between the Asians and other cricketing countries like England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, commentators fear.

Akram demonstrated that he is still in good form during the Pakistani tour of the West Indies, which ended recently.