Court suspends ban on Shoaib, fine stays

New Delhi: Shoaib Akhtar will breathe easy after a Lahore High Court ruling on Friday suspended the 18-month ban imposed on him by the PCB.

The High Court said that Shoaib is now eligible for selection to the Pakistan team till the interim order on the case is spelt out.

The Rawalpindi Express was contesting the PCB ban and had taken it to court where the counsel ruled in his favour.

The Court however maintained that the penalty of Rs. 70 lakh imposed on him by the PCB stays.

The pacer is now likely to feature in the forthcoming Champions Trophy.

According to the legal advisor of PCB, Ffazul Rizvi, "This is an interim relief and the decision can always be revoked."

His case will be heard on the sixth of September.

Shoaib had been banned for five years, which was later reduced to 18 months, for reported criticism regarding the award of contracts to play for the national team.

He was already under a two-year probation for his altercation with fellow pacer Mohammad Asif during the Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa in September last year.

PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf had said that the Board had lost confidence in Shoaib and therefore felt that his presence was damaging to the Pakistan team. Coach Geoff Lawson too had reservations about Shoaib’s role in the team.

Akhtar had earlier turned down the special retainer-ship offered by the PCB. He didn’t feature among the 15 Pakistan cricketers who were granted the central contract that takes into account players’ performance in the last six months.

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