Karachi september 18 : The Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday gave a go ahead to speedster Shoaib Akhtar for playing in the Twenty20 national championship from October 4, saying the bowler's fitness would be judged during the tournament.
PCB's Chief Operating Officer Shafqat Naghmi said the Board had asked its legal counsel to get a clear order from the court on the fine issue.
"The fine is purely a legal matter which is being sorted out. But we want Shoaib to play in the Twenty20 championship so that the selectors can judge his form and fitness," Naghmi said.
The Twenty20 event in Lahore will constitute the basis for selecting the Pakistan squad for a four-nation international T20 event in Toronto that also features Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Canada.
Akhtar, currently playing for Surrey in the English county championship, has been named in Islamabad's 15-member squad for the National Twenty20 Championship.
The Board has been embroiled in a dispute with Akhtar over the payment of a fine of seven million rupees imposed on him by an appellate tribunal of the Board.
The appellate tribunal had reduced a five-year ban on him in June to 18 months but instead imposed the fine as well.
The bowler has now lodged a writ petition in Lahore High Court which is yet to be heard although the court has given an interim stay order against the ban.
The Board sent a legal notice to Akhtar, asking him to pay the fine to be eligible to play for Pakistan or anywhere else in Pakistan.
Naghmi said the Board policy was clear that no player would be considered for the international event if he didn't play in the national tournament.
PCB's Chief Operating Officer Shafqat Naghmi said the Board had asked its legal counsel to get a clear order from the court on the fine issue.
"The fine is purely a legal matter which is being sorted out. But we want Shoaib to play in the Twenty20 championship so that the selectors can judge his form and fitness," Naghmi said.
The Twenty20 event in Lahore will constitute the basis for selecting the Pakistan squad for a four-nation international T20 event in Toronto that also features Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Canada.
Akhtar, currently playing for Surrey in the English county championship, has been named in Islamabad's 15-member squad for the National Twenty20 Championship.
The Board has been embroiled in a dispute with Akhtar over the payment of a fine of seven million rupees imposed on him by an appellate tribunal of the Board.
The appellate tribunal had reduced a five-year ban on him in June to 18 months but instead imposed the fine as well.
The bowler has now lodged a writ petition in Lahore High Court which is yet to be heard although the court has given an interim stay order against the ban.
The Board sent a legal notice to Akhtar, asking him to pay the fine to be eligible to play for Pakistan or anywhere else in Pakistan.
Naghmi said the Board policy was clear that no player would be considered for the international event if he didn't play in the national tournament.
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