Shoab Akhtar is one of the worlds fastest bowlers. He bowls to the speeds of 250 per hour. He has faced disciplinary issues but now the world will be able to see his bowling. The PCB has lost all control over the players. There is an urgent need to dismiss the chairman and have a “Nur Khan” type of person take over Pakistani Cricket, Hockey, and Squash.
The main reason for the PCB to buckle was the pressure by the IPL as well as the fact that the PCB was going to lose the case in the courts.
India welcomes controversial fast bowler to participate in IPL:
Appellate tribunal suspends Akhtar’s five-year ban for one month By Muhammad Ali
LAHORE: A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appellate tribunal on Sunday suspended a five-year ban on controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar for a month so that he could participate in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). The tribunal, headed by former High Court judge Aftab Farrukh, accepted a plea from Akhtar’s lawyers that the ban should be suspended temporarily so that the pacer can play in the lucrative IPL. A PCB disciplinary committee, headed by Lt Gen (r) Munir Hafeez, banned Akhtar last month for several incidents of indiscipline. It is pertinent to mention that last week the tribunal allowed Akhtar to play outside Pakistan but the Indian authorities refused to permit him to take part in the IPL unless the ban was lifted.
Aftab announced the decision here at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). The other two members of the tribunal – former federal minister Salmaan Taseer and former Test cricketer Haseeb Ahsan – were not present on the occasion. “We have suspended the ban for one month and the next hearing will be held on June 4,” Aftab told reporters. “Since it will take time to dispose of Akhtar’s regular appeal against the ban, the tribunal felt that preventing him from playing in the league would have been an additional penalty on him,” he maintained. He said had the tribunal not suspended the ban, the fast bowler could not have been able to play in the IPL. “I got the consent of Taseer on telephone, but Ahsan could not be contacted,” said Aftab, who was assisted by senior advocate Khawaja Sultan Ahmad. Akhtar was represented by Abid Hasan Minto while the PCB was represented by Tafazul Haider Rizvi.
Earlier, the tribunal, on April 30, had decided to uphold the PCB’s ban on an interim-basis. The paceman made an unconditional apology to the tribunal on last Monday and pledged to mend his ways. The 32-year-old Akhtar was banned for comments he made after not being offered a contract by the PCB, in which he lashed out at domestic tournaments, pitches and the administration in general. He made the comments while on a two-year probation after hitting team-mate Mohammad Asif with a bat before the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa last year. Akhtar, who has played 46 Tests with 178 wickets and 138 ODIs with 219 wickets, has the additional burden of dealing with a Rs 220 million defamation suit filed against him by PCB chief Nasim Ashraf. Akhtar has accused Nasim of demanding a commission from his contract for the Indian event, saying his refusal led to the five-year ban. The legal proceedings began in a civil court on Saturday, and the court has summoned Akhtar to answer the charges on May 16.
Meanwhile, the PCB has granted Akhtar a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to feature in the IPL, where he will play for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Lalit Modi, the chairman and commissioner of the IPL, has also confirmed that Akhtar will play the tournament. “Akhtar’s contract still stands, I am going to call him and tell him to take the first flight to India. We look forward to Akhtar playing for us,” Modi told media on Sunday.
The Knight Riders franchise, which signed Akhtar for $425,000 in the player auctions, would welcome his arrival and hope for a turnaround in their fortunes. The team has suffered four consecutive losses after winning their first two games. Akhtar returns to one of his memorable hunting grounds, the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, where the team has five remaining home games. His was a revelation in his first Test at the venue, picking up eight wickets in a match-winning effort.