April 03, 2008	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 25, 1429

LONDON, April 2: While terming the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ a talent not fulfilled, Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson has his expressed his disappointment at the five-year ban imposed on Shoaib Akhtar by a PCB disciplinary committee on Tuesday.

“Whether he (Shoaib) got banned today or not, there was always going to be some problem with Shoaib,” Lawson, the former Australian Test pace bowler, told the Daily Telegraph.

“He has so much ability but he lacks the responsibility that’s needed to become a great fast bowler,” the coach asserted.

“At times he tried really hard for us, but you just never knew what to expect when you turned up to the ground.

“Personally, I wouldn’t have banned him; I’d have made him earn his international place back by playing domestic cricket.

“It’s always sad when you see a guy who doesn’t fulfil his talent.”

Lawson, in his tour report on the series in India last year, had suggested against picking Shoaib for Tests, showing he had lost confidence in the 46-Test bowler abilities in the most traditional form of the game.

However, Lawson thought Shoaib would fare well in the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), to which the ban does not extend, saying: “I reckon he’ll go pretty well. We timed him in the nets last week and he was bowling over 93mph.”

Shafqat Rana, a national

selector, saying that Shoaib deserved the ban.

“Shoaib has been involved in a number of controversies, and in my view the ban is justified. The decision will set an example for other cricketers as well,” he said.

“It is true that a person learns from his mistakes, but unfortunately the fast bowler made it a habit of repeating his mistakes. I think the board’s zero-tolerance policy should be commended.”

On the other hand, former captain Imran Khan criticised the PCB for its decision.

“The ban on Shoaib and even on the players who have gone to play in the ICL are unacceptable and will shake the foundations of our cricket system.

“We are losing good players to bad policies of the board,” Imran reckoned.—Agencies