KENT'S plan to re-hire Pakistan all-rounder Yasir Arafat as their overseas professional for the 2008 season may be undermined by worried Pakistan Cricket Board officials this week.

Over the last three seasons Kent have suffered at the hands of the South African international board who, at various critical stages of the domestic campaign, have withdrawn Andrew Hall, Justin Kemp and Morne Morkel from county duty.

Now, Kent officials seem likely to hear that their close-season plan to sign Arafat, the former Scotland and Sussex swing bowler, will be scuppered by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

PCB chiefs are concerned that pacemen like Arafat and Mohammad Sami, who was also with Kent in 2003 and 2004, together with their international team-mates Rana Naved, Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar are suffering burn out after playing county cricket and picking up injuries while on Test duty as a consequence.

Speaking at a press conference in Karachi this week PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf said: “We have to look at the effects of county cricket on our players’ fitness.

“Even spinners have come back from their seasons completely fatigued and that is not good for Pakistan.

“In the past Pakistan players used to play county cricket because the financial rewards at home were not so high. That is not needed now because we are in a position to pay our players handsomely.”

The PCB meet in Karachi on Friday to make a final decision over the matter.