Shoaib to appear before disciplinary panel

Shoaib Akthar, facing fitness and disciplinary problems ahead of this month's India tour, has been asked to appear before a board disciplinary panel.

Controversial Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akthar, facing fitness and disciplinary problems ahead of this month's India tour, has been asked to appear before a cricket board disciplinary panel on Thursday, it was announced on Tuesday.

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A question mark had hung over the mercurial Shoaib after he refused to play in the domestic Patron's Trophy tournament to enable the selectors to gauge whether he had recovered from his hamstring injury sustained on a recent tour of Australia.

The 29-year-old, who was to appear along with three other unfit pacers before a joint medical team on Saturday, will now have to first satisfy the three-man disciplinary panel of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that he has done nothing wrong.

Shoaib is charged with having breached his contract by visiting discos, issuing press statements without permission and staying out for longer than necessary after picking up an injury on the team's recent Australian tour.

Asghar Haider, secretary of the PCB disciplinary committee, has written to Shoaib directing him to appear before the panel comprising Justice (Rtd) Amir Alam Khan (chairman), Maqbool Elahi Malik (member) and Abdul Salam Khawar (member), said a PCB statement.

A short training camp will start on Saturday for the selected team, which will leave for India February 25 to play three Tests and One-Day Internationals.

It is likely that the disciplinary committee would let Shoaib go with a fine as pressure from former players mounts on the PCB to include him in the squad for the tour.

Shoaib has met PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan twice this month to present his side of the story.