 Shoaib Akhtar banned for 18 months, fined Rs. 7 millions
14th Jun 2008 20:00 IST
Agencies
Controversial Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar appeared to have got some reprieve today after his five-year ban by PCB was reduced to 18 months with a fine of Rs seven million, even though clouds of doubt hovered over the future of the maverick bowler.
Shoaib's 18-month ban with retrospective effect starts on April 1 and expires on September 30, 2009.
A three-member Appellate Tribunal of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today reduced the five-year ban, which had been imposed on the pacer on April 1 for several violations of PCB's code of conducts, saying the punishment was too harsh.
"So we have decided to reduce it to one and half years, giving Shoaib a chance to make a comeback. But because of his past and recent record we have imposed a fine of seven million rupees on him," Justice (retd) Aftab Farrukh, who headed the tribunal, said after the hearing in Lahore.
The tribunal was expected to reduce the ban to a great extent after Shoaib apologised publicly and before the tribunal, which earlier suspended his ban for one month in April and allowed him to go and play in the Indian Premier League.
The disciplinary committee of the board had imposed the five-year ban after finding Shoaib guilty of violating a two-year probation for behaviour and also for breaking other code of conduct clauses.
"We discussed the case in detail and we reviewed everything from his past record to the reasons for the present ban. We took this decision with a clear mind and we were also under no pressure from the cricket board or any other people to go soft on Shoaib," Farrukh said.
He revealed one of the tribunal members, Naved Chaudhary, had suggested lifting the ban and just fining the bowler Rs 20 million but majority decision prevailed.
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