Ban on Akhtar: LHC to hear fast bowler’s plea

PCB had imposed an 18-month ban and a fine of Rs7 million on him.

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court chief justice on Thursday fixed April 16 for hearing of a petition moved by former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar challenging a ban on his playing cricket and a fine.

The Pakistan Cricket Board had imposed an 18-month ban and a fine of Rs7 million on him on charges of hitting a fellow cricketer during a tour to South Africa in 2007.

Shoaib Akhtar has filed an application for the early hearing of his petition.

His counsel stated that the petition was pending for adjudication since 2008. He requested the chief justice to fix the petition for an early hearing. The CJ accepted the application and directed the registrar’s office to fix the petition for April 16.

On July 4, 2008, an LHC bench had suspended the ban imposed by the PCB and allowed Akhtar to play cricket. The court had ruled that the 32-year-old cricketer should be allowed to play until his appeal against the ban was heard. A PCB disciplinary
committee had first banned Shoaib Akhtar for five years in April 2008 for several incidents of indiscipline and violating the terms of a two-year probation imposed for hitting team-mate Mohammad Asif with a bat. However, an appellate committee had later reduced the suspension to 18 months and imposed a fine of Rs7 million.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2013.