Lahore High Court sends notice to PCB for early hearing of Shoaib’s appeal

LAHORE - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has received a legal notice in response to an application by fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar in the Lahore High Court, seeking an early hearing of his appeal challenging a ban and fine imposed on him.

An appellate tribunal constituted by the PCB had imposed a year-and-a-half ban and a 7-million-rupee fine on Akhtar, the Daily Times reports.

The Lahore High Court had earlier given him interim relief by allowing him to participate in national and international cricket matches by suspending the ban.

Through his counsel Abid Hasan Manto, Akhtar told the court that the PCB’s appellate tribunal was not authorised to award such penalties because these were not provided for under the relevant laws.

Akhtar’s lawyer contended that the tribunal illegally passed the impugned order by relying on two earlier orders given by two different disciplinary committees of the PCB.

Manto pointed out that in October 2007, a disciplinary committee had imposed a ban of 13 matches on Akhtar and asked him to pay a fine of 4 million dollars on the charge of hitting a fellow cricketer in South Africa.

The other committee passed an order for a life ban, which Akhtar challenged in the PCB’s tribunal, he added.

The lawyer said that imposing a life ban was “completely ultra vires and illegal” because it was not provided for in any law, rule or policy of the PCB.

Manto requested the court to declare the disciplinary committee’s order and the findings of the appellate tribunal as illegal. (ANI)