Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer has allayed Sussex fears that leading wicket-taker Mushtaq Ahmed might be added to their tour squad.

Mushtaq, 36, has not played Test cricket for three years and was left out of Pakistan's 16-man party for the tour, which begins later this month.

But Danish Kaneria is the only specialist slow bowler in the squad and Sussex are worried that, should Kaneria suffer injury or a loss of form, there would be a handy replacement at hand.

Cricket manager Mark Robinson has already admitted that there is little the county could do if Pakistan decided to call up Mushtaq.

But Woolmer believes their seamers - including Sussex's Rana Naved ul-Hasan - will do the bulk of the bowling in the four-Test series which starts at Lord's on July 13.

He said: "Danish Kaneria is our number one spinner but we also have back-up in Shahid Arfridi and Shoaib Malik.

"The pitches at this time of year in England tend to have uneven bounce so we are looking more at our seam attack to do the work."

While Woolmer is confident Pakistan can compete without Mushtaq, chairman of selectors Wasim Bari appears to have a more open mind about recalling the leg-spinner, who has played 52 Tests and 144 one-day internationals.

Bari said: "We can't predict these things and it all depends on what happens as the tour progresses. But he is certainly in good form at the moment."

Naved returns to Pakistan for a pre-tour training camp next week and Sussex hope to reigister his replacement Yasir Arafat in time for Friday's C&G Trophy game against Hampshire under the Hove floodlights.