Shoaib appeals against ban

KARACHI—Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said Friday he has appealed against a five-year ban imposed by Pakistan’s cricket authorities for repeated breaches of discipline.
The 32-year-old paceman was banned after a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) disciplinary hearing on Tuesday. He was charged with violating the players’ code of conduct by publicly criticising the board.
“I have filed an appeal against the ban and hope that I will get justice,” Akhtar told.
He was already on two years’ probation for an earlier offence committed when he hit teammate Mohammad Asif with a bat just days before the start of the Twenty20 World Championship held in South Africa last year.
The ban imposed on Akhtar has attracted contrasting reactions, with legends such as Imran Khan and Sarfraz Nawaz slamming the PCB’s move, but the player’s former captains Inzamam-ul-Haq and Moin Khan backing the five-year punishment.
Akhtar later told reporters: “I thank the people who supported me like Imran Khan and Sarfraz Nawaz and I am especially thankful to the people of Pakistan.”
The saga took an ugly turn on Thursday when the PCB sued Akhtar for three million dollars for allegedly defaming the board’s chairman, Nasim Ashraf.
The PCB also demanded an apology after Akhtar, in a television interview on Wednesday, accused Ashraf of demanding a commission on his fee from the Indian Premier League, which Ashraf strongly denied.
Ashraf on Thursday said Akhtar’s appeal will be dealt with according to PCB regulations. “If Akhtar appeals we will tackle the matter as per our rules. I have the right to be the chairman of the appellate committee but I withdraw from it and form an independent committee,” said Ashraf.
PCB chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi confirmed the board had received the appeal. “We have received an appeal from Akhtar’s lawyers and a committee will be formed to hear his appeal in due course. A decision will be made on facts and not on political grounds,” Naghmi told a press conference.
“We know that the decision has received various reactions but the disciplinary committee made a decision on facts and a detailed copy of that decision will be given to Akhtar on Monday,” he said.
“The players’ central contract and the code of conduct have all the guidelines which players are bound to comply with and every player comes under the PCB code,” he said.
Board sources said the PCB chairman was likely to name the appellate committee within two days. On the other hand, PCB has served the controversial pace bowler with a legal notice for defaming the Board and its officials after the disciplinary committee recommendation led to his ban for five years.
In the legal notice, the PCB has asked the angry fast bowler for Rs 200 million compensation for the defamatory statement used by Akhtar after the five year ban.
According to sources, Naseem Ashraf decided to get even with the bulky fast bowler after the player alleged in a television interview that the PCB chairman punished him after he (Shoaib) refuse to give Ashraf a share of his IPL Salary.
It was a huge allegation against Naseem Ashraf, a close aide of President Pervez Musharraf and it was no surprise that the PCB Chairman decided to sue Shoaib, who had claimed that Naseem Ashraf also tried to exhort money from several of his Pakistan team mates.
Now Shoaib’s faint hopes of playing International Cricket looks quite bleak and rests on gaining political support of the country.—Agencies