A hearing on fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar's appeal against an 18-month ban was postponed Tuesday because the judge was not available, a lawyer for the Pakistan Cricket Board said. The 33-year-old paceman is appealing the ban and a fine of seven million rupees (100,000 dollars).
"Lahore High Court Justice Syed Zahid Hussain was not available to hear the case as he was attending the swearing-in ceremony of the president of Pakistan in Islamabad," PCB lawyer Taffazul Rizvi told AFP. A new date for the hearing would be announced next week, he said. The original ban of five years was imposed by the PCB disciplinary committee in April following Akhtar's public criticism of the board in January when he was axed from the list of 15 contracted players.
An appeal committee reduced the ban but imposed the fine in June before the Lahore High Court suspended the ban the same month, allowing Akhtar to play in the Indian Premier League. However the court upheld the fine, a prerequisite for Akhtar representing Pakistan again. He was named to a 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy that was to be held in September but was postponed for 12 months amid security fears in Pakistan.
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