Shoaib Akhtar banned for five years, Kaneria warned

Pakistan Cricket Board has banned maverick paceman Shoaib Akhtar from playing cricket for five years on Tuesday for violating the players' code of conduct.

The 32-year-old Akhtar appeared before a disciplinary committee earlier Tuesday charged with publicly criticising the country's board. He was already on two years' probation for hitting a teammate with a bat.

The ban effectively ends the controversial eleven-year career of the world's fastest bowler, which has been plagued by injuries, discipline problems and a doping scandal in 2007.

"The committee has recommended a five year-ban on Shoaib Akthar. He will be ineligible to play in Pakistan or to play for Pakistan anywhere else in the world,"

PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf told reporters.

"The board has lost confidence in Shoaib Akhtar and therefore felt that his presence in the field was damaging to the Pakistan team, for Pakistan players and for the image of Pakistan cricket,"

Ashraf added.

However the PCB chief said that Akhtar would still be able to play for other teams around the world, clearing the fast bowler to play for the
lucrative Indian Premier League next month.

Ashraf added that it was a

"sad day for me and for Shoaib Akhtar. He is such a talented player."

The PCB chairman said Akhtar had the right to appeal the decision.

Because he was already on probation, Akhtar faced a theoretical life ban for slamming the PCB for dual standards on awarding central contracts in January this year.

In October last year, Akhtar was fined 3.4 million rupees (52,000 dollars) and banned for 13 matches for hitting fellow paceman Mohammad Asif with a bat, just days before the start of the Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa.

Spinner Danish Kaneria, who also faced a charge of criticising the PCB, was severely reprimanded, Ashraf said.

Kaneria had criticised his demotion from category "B" to "C" in the central contract in an online column. He later blamed a newspaper for publishing his column out of context.

"Since this was Kaneria's first offense on discipline, he has been severely reprimanded and barred from issuing any press statements,"

Ashraf said.

Akhtar was dropped from Pakistan's list of 15 contracted players in January after the paceman had another disappointing year, plagued by injures and discipline problems.

Instead, Akhtar was offered a special retainer deal, which he refused to sign.

The mercurial fast bowler last played for Pakistan in the third and final Test against India at Bangalore in December last year. He broke down with back trouble and was blamed for Pakistan's 1-0 defeat in the series.

He was not selected for Pakistan's five-match series against Zimbabwe in February and was omitted from next month's first two limited overs international against Bangladesh.

Akhtar took 178 wickets in 46 Tests, while his tally in 138 one-day matches stands at 219.

Shoaib Akhtar’s history of bans and fines

Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday banned fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar for five years for violating the players' cricket code of conduct.

Here is a list of the 32-year-old's run-ins with cricketing authorities:

December 1999: Banned for illegal bowling action.
February 2000: Banned for a Test and fined 50,000 rupees after a breach of code on the tour of Australia.
January 2001: Banned for illegal bowling action for a second time.
November 2002: Fined 50 percent of match fee, banned for one one-day international for throwing a bottle into the crowd during a Test in Harare, Zimbabwe.
December 2002: Suspended one-Test ban for ball-tampering.
May 2003: Banned for two ODIs and fined 75 percent of match fee for ball tampering during a tri-series match in Sri Lanka.
October 2003: Banned for one Test and two ODIs for using obscene and offensive language towards Paul Adams during Lahore Test against South Africa.
December 2004:Fined 40 percent of match fee for taunting batsman during Test in Australia.
January 2005: Fined 25 percent of match fee for excessive appealing in ODI in Australia.
October 2006: Banned for two years for testing positive for nandrolone. Ban lifted on appeal.
August 2007: Fined 5,000 dollars for leaving training camp without permission. Fine suspended on appeal pending probation.
October 2007: Banned for 13 international matches, fined 3.4 million rupees and placed on two-years probation for five disciplinary breaches, including hitting teammate Mohammad Asif on the thigh with a cricket bat.
April 1, 2008: Handed a five-year ban from playing in or for Pakistan after he criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board's award of contracts.

Shoaib fined for training camp exit

Shoaib Akhtar has been fined US$5000 by the Pakistan board for two breaches of the players' code of conduct.

According to Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB's chief operating officer, Shoaib left the fitness and training camp in Karachi early and without permission.

"Today also he was asked to appear before the disciplinary committee of the board but he didn't show up,"

Nagmi said.

"He has also been docked 1.5 points from the total of 20 points available to the players for discipline in their central contracts."

Akhtar, who left the camp complaining of a stiff neck, was named in Pakistan's 15-man squad yesterday for the Twenty20 World Championship and will make his long-awaited return to international cricket after being sidelined due to a drugs ban and various injuries.