Canterbury Cricket Association chief executive Tony Murdoch confirmed yesterday that talks with Akram had foundered.

He cited three key factors, including the late start to contractual negotiations, which had meant ``opportunities for attracting sponsorship support had been limited''.

``Wasim was still unable to commit to the full Shell Cup season and this was a problem,'' Murdoch said.

He would not have been available for the Shell Cup play-offs, which clashed with a scheduled test series between Pakistan and India.

Murdoch said there had also been doubts about whether the Pakistani Cricket Board would release Akram.

``The recent poor performances by the Pakistani team have caused a degree of turmoil within the Pakistan administration,'' Murdoch said.

``As a consequence, Wasim's manager had alerted me to the possibility that a release may not be forthcoming.''

Murdoch said a player of Akram's stature would have been a tremendous asset to player development in Canterbury.

He said the former Pakistan captain was still keen to link with Canterbury in the future.