KARACHI, Jan 10: Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who is due to join the Pakistan team in South Africa this week, finally signed the central contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board at its headquarters in Lahore on Wednesday.

Shoaib’s previous contract in the ‘A’ category was cancelled last year after he was banned along with fellow paceman Mohammad Asif for taking banned steroid, nandrolone.

But a PCB appellate tribunal overturned the two-year ban imposed on the 31-year-old speedster by a doping panel in October last. Asif was also exonerated from doping charges by the tribunal, headed by retired Chief Justice of Supreme Court, Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim.

The Rawalpindi-born pacer, who is now scheduled to leave for Johannesburg via Dubai on Thursday night, also signed a contract with cellular company Mobilink which is one of the main sponsors of the PCB.

Arguably the fastest bowler produced by Pakistan, Shoaib has claimed 165 wickets in a chequered 42-Test career which began in 1997-98 and 208 scalps in 133 One-day Internationals. He hasn’t featured in a Test since India played at Karachi almost a year ago while his last ODI appearance was against England at Trent Bridge in September 2006.