April 13, 2008	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 6, 1429

LAHORE, April 12: Justice (retd.) Aftab Furrukh, head of the three-member Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Appellate Tribunal (AT), formed to hear fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar’s appeal against the five-year ban imposed on him, has asked the board to arrange for the tribunal’s first meeting on April 17.

A PCB official, while admitting that the board has received the proposed date for the first hearing, added that the availability of all the parties was necessary in order to confirm that the tribunal would start its proceedings on the said date.

PCB’s disciplinary committee headed by Munir Hafeez banned Shoaib on April 1 for breaching the Players’ Code of Conduct. Three days later Shoaib submitted his appeal against the ban after which PCB Chairman, Dr Nasim Ashraf formed the AT, comprising Aftab with Haseeb Ahsan and Salman Taseer as the members. The availability of all three members of the AT along with Shoaib and his lawyers would have to be sought before officially calling the meeting, said the PCB official on conditions of anonymity.

Meanwhile, Aftab has informed that he has yet to receive the detailed judgment of the disciplinary committee. He hoped that he would be provided with it before the first meeting, while adding that Shoaib’s lawyers too should be getting it in order to appear before the tribunal fully prepared.

The PCB too is yet to receive the judgment from the disciplinary committee.