September 10, 2007	Monday	Sha'aban 27, 1428

KARACHI, Sept 9: Disgraced Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar faces the possibility of not only being slapped with a life ban, but also his name put on the exit control list (ECL), Dawn learnt from reliable sources on Sunday.

President Pervez Musharraf, who is the patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has directed the PCB chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf that the controversial speedster should not be shown any leniency over his latest tantrum in South Africa where he hit fellow paceman Mohammad Asif with a bat.

Taking serious notice of the incident, which took place on Thursday during a training session at the Centurion Park, the president instructed the PCB high command to take strict action against Shoaib, who has a habit of tarnishing Pakistan’s image.

According to sources, the government is also in the process of putting Shoaib on the ECL in a move to prevent him from going abroad. By his own admission, the maverick fast bowler has been linked with the breakaway Indian Cricket League (ICL) for a series of Twenty20 matches. In the wake of the latest fiasco, Shoaib is now almost a certainty for the ICL.

The ICL, which is neither recognized by the game’s governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC) nor the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as well as the PCB, has reportedly offered the 32-year-old Shoaib a hefty sum to sign for it.

Shoaib’s compatriots Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq and Imran Farhat are already contracted to play in the controversial league.

The PCB’s policy of zero tolerance towards acts of indiscipline is now almost certainly going to put an end to the colourful Shoaib’s chequered international career that has tragically seen more lows than highs ever since it began in 1996.

His playing future hinges on the result of yet another inquiry.