Mohammed Akram's all-ten bowling feat for Undercliffe was the best of his career, but the laid back Pakistan Test pace bowler has taken his remarkable achievement in his stride.

Akram took ten for 25 to help Undercliffe to beat Cleckheaton by 111 runs in the Bradford League Division One at Intake Road on Saturday, but modestly insisted: "It is more important that the team wins than who takes the wickets.

"As long as the team are winning it doesn't matter whether I take the wickets or anyone else.

"At first I didn't think of all ten - they just kept coming and I kept going, but after you have taken four or five then you start to think I should go for them all, and it just happened.

"I was bowling down the slope from the car park end and conditions were helpful. The wicket was damp after the rain of the previous week and that helped me to swing the ball.

"The fact that conditions were damp meant I couldn't bowl from my full run. I didn't want to take any risks. You bowl as you feel comfortable."

Akram's previous best figures were eight for 19 in club cricket, but he also took seven for 51 for Pakistan in a tour match against Leicestershire in 1996.

Five of his victims were bowled, but the other five were lbw.

Akram agreed it was 'unusual' to have as many as five lbws in league cricket, adding: "Some-times umpires are scared to give lbw decisions. It is very difficult to get them from league um-pires."

Akram is no stranger to English conditions. "These conditions may be different to some people, but they are not different to me because I am used to playing cricket in England," he said. "I am just getting back into my rhythm.

"The Bradford League is competitive cricket and, compared to some other places, it is much better. I am enjoying playing cricket in Bradford, Undercliffe are looking after me and I am keen to see them do well."

The 26-year-old - a member of the Pakistan squad for every major tour since 1995 - was overlooked for the current Test series against England.

But that was not a surprise to the player because he has been building up his fitness after being struck down malaria.

He was ill for 25 days and came to London for treatment, but he was called up as a late replacement for the closing stages of the recent tour to New Zealand.

Akram met his Pakistan team-mates at their London hotel yesterday, 24 hours after their innings Test defeat against England at Lord's.

"I thought England played outstandingly and Darren Gough and Andy Caddick bowled really well," he said, "but our bowlers didn't bowl as well as they should have done. They could have got them out for under 200.

"Our players are also out of practice. It's a short tour and they have missed a lot of cricket so far because of rain, but that is not an excuse. Once you are professional you have to perform in any sort of cricket. They will play in the second Test at Old Trafford next week in a different frame of mind.

"The boys are a bit down, but Imran Khan told them it wasn't their fault, it was just one of those days."