July 14, 2008	Monday	Rajab 10, 1429

LAHORE, July 13: The omission of fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar from the preliminary list of 30 probables for the ICC Champions Trophy is expected as the bowler is not likely to deposit the Rs7million fine by Monday, a PCB condition in order to be included.

Decision in this regard is to be taken on Monday at a national selection committee meeting with the PCB chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi.

The national selection committee, headed by Salahuddin Ahmed, has included the names of Shoaib along with fellow pacemen Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul in the provisional Champions Trophy list handed over to the PCB to forward to the International Cricket Council (ICC) on July 10, a day before the due date.

But the PCB has triggered a fresh controversy by rejecting the list and asking the selectors to meet up on Monday. In doing so, the PCB has also sought ICC’s permission to extend the due date for submission of the list till Tuesday.

Moreover, the PCB had sent a letter to Shoaib to deposit the fine by Monday if he wants to be considered for the Champions Trophy, scheduled for September in Pakistan.

The penalty of Rs7million was imposed on Shoaib by the PCB appellate tribunal while reducing the five-year ban slapped on him by the PCB disciplinary committee to 18 months.

Shoaib had challenged the punishment in the Lahore High Court (LHC), which waived the ban, giving immediate relief to the bowler.

Respecting the court’s decision, the selectors included Shoaib in the preliminary list but the PCB raised its objection over it saying that the bowler must first pay the fine.

But Shoaib’s lawyer Abid Hasan Mintoo has said that since the LHC had given its verdict on the ban, the case regarding the cash penalty is still pending with the court.

“How we can pay the fine without the LHC’s order as the case is still pending with the court,” he said.

The lawyer is expected to write a letter to the PCB over the issue, explaining that his client will only pay the amount on the court’s advice.

But sources said that the PCB and the selection committee are agreed on the point that Shoaib’s name in the list depends on his depositing the amount. Otherwise it may be scratched.

Moreover, sources said Asif’s inclusion in the list can also give way to objection since the PCB has to start an in-house inquiry against the bowler allegedly having an illegal substance in his wallet for which he was detained at Dubai airport last month.

But the PCB management woke up suddenly when the selectors finalised the list, otherwise, they had almost overlooked the cases of both the bowlers. The management being aware of the ICC deadline should have responsibly dealt with the cases well before the deadline in order to avoid this controversy.