The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is willing to consider any appeal made by former captain Salim Malik against the life ban imposed on him by a match-fixing tribunal six years ago, an official said on Friday.
Dr Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, said in light of the decision taken by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to lift the life ban on Ata-ur-Rehman, Pakistan would consider any fresh appeal by Malik and forward it to relevant authorities.
Malik was banned in 2000 by the Justice Malik Qayyum inquiry tribunal which had also imposed a life ban on Rehman for committing perjury and fined five other players for not co-operating with the inquiry.
Malik, who played 103 tests and 283 one-day internationals, made a number of appeals in the courts against his ban and one in the Supreme court is still pending.
"If he appeals to us we can look at it and forward it to the ICC for consideration. That is all we can do," Ashraf said. He also pointed out that the ICC allowed the Indian board to honour former captain Muhammad Azharuddin at a recent ceremony in the Champions Trophy.
Azharuddin was also banned for life for his role in a match-fixing scandal. The ICC at its recent executive board meeting in Mumbai had considered an appeal by Rehman who wants to play league cricket in England where he is settled. Ashraf said the PCB would not interfere in the cases of fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, both of whom are serving bans for doping offences.
"The drugs commission which banned them acted independently. The appeals committee is also totally independent and will decide in light of the evidence and arguments brought forward by them and their lawyers," he said.
Ashraf refuted suggestions that the board had a grudge against Shoaib and said the PCB had a zero tolerance policy towards drugs and indiscipline. "They made a mistake and they were penalised for it. We are signatories to the international anti-doping regulations and we have to abide by them," he added.
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