September 17, 2008	Wednesday	Ramazan 16, 1429

KARACHI, Sept 16: Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar will not be allowed to take part in the domestic season unless he pays a fine of seven million Pakistan rupees ($91,455).

The legal counsel for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Shoaib would not be eligible to start the season on Oct 4 with the highly popular Twenty20 national championship until he had cleared the fine.

“He (Shoaib) has to pay the fine first or get a stay order from the court against it. Otherwise he can’t play for Pakistan or anywhere in Pakistan at any level,” Tafazzul Rizvi said.

The board’s appellate tribunal reduced in June a five year ban imposed on the fast bowler to 18 months. But it asked him to pay the hefty fine as punishment.

Shoaib then filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the ban and fine and the court suspended the ban until the case was decided.

Tafazzul said the court had not suspended the fine and Shoaib had to pay it to fulfil legal formalities.

“We have whole heartedly accepted the court’s suspension of the ban and we want Shoaib to pay the fine as per the court directives,” he added.

Shoaib was recently given clearance to play for English county Surrey.

But Tafazzul said the ban and fine on Shoaib was limited to playing for Pakistan and anywhere within Pakistan.

“That is why we didn’t object to his playing for Surrey,” he said.—Reuters