PCB tells Shoaib to pay fine

	Shoaib Akhtar has been issued an ultimatum © AFP Enlarge

Shoaib Akhtar will not be allowed to play in and for Pakistan until he pays an outstanding fine of Rs 7 million (approx US$105,000), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said.

The PCB slapped Shoaib, 33, with the fine last month after he criticised the PCB over its failure to award him a central contract. He was initially banned by the PCB for five years, but the sentence had been reduced to 18 months by an appellate tribunal in June.

"Legally speaking the Lahore High Court upheld the fine and suspended the ban so if he wants to play for Pakistan and in Pakistan, Akhtar will have to pay the fine," PCB legal adviser Taffazul Hussain Rizvi told AFP.

The hearing for Shoaib's appeal against his ban was postponed because the judge was not available. Rizvi said Shoaib had yet to reply to letters demanding he pay the fine and has not tried to fix a date for the hearing of his High Court petition against the fine.

"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," said Rizvi.

Shoaib was left out of Islamabad's squad for the upcoming National Twenty20 tournament and will not be considered for next month's four-nation Twenty20 tournament in Canada if he does not participate in the tournament, to be played from October 4-8.

Yesterday the Karachi-based Dawn quoted Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB's chief operating officer, as saying that the board may include Shoaib's name before the start of the tournament.

Shoaib is currently playing for Surrey in a bid to regain his match fitness.