KARACHI, March 20: The Disciplinary Committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was flexing its muscles after fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar left for Australia without getting clearance.

Highly placed sources said Shoaib was in Australia for the last week. “Shoaib left for Australia two days after the Asian Test Championship final without informing the PCB officials,” sources said.

The PCB officials in Lahore are also unhappy since Shoaib, for whom the PCB has gone all way to revive his career, has violated its instructions not for the first time.

“Shoaib, like any other player, was instructed to play in the domestic one-day competition. But he preferred to proceed to Australia without seeking prior clearance,” sources said.

They added that the matter would be referred to chairman of the PCB Lt Gen Tauqir Zia when he returns Thursday after attending the ICC executive council meeting in Cape Town.

The disciplinary committee, that comes under the Cricket Management Committee, said it would wait until the case was referred to it.

But sources in the committee added that they had been verbally informed of Shoaib’s absence. “We can’t make a move until the PCB officially forwards his case to us.”

Shoaib has previously been fined and suspended by the PCB for violating code of conduct.

He was banned from a one-day international and fined Rs50,000 in February

2000 for late night romp in Australia.

He was also reprimanded for his outburst on Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardena during the Sharjah Cup final in October 2001.

In 1996, he was dropped from the Sahara Cup squad on the report of manager Justice Ijaz Yousuf who had complained about his misconduct on the ‘A’ team tour to England.

Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) sorely missed Shoaib’s absence and failed to qualify for the second round of the on-going National One-day tournament.