Decision on Akram likely next week

Fast bowler Mohammad Akram is likely to face ban as well as slapped cash penalty after he admitted deserting the Pakistan team without seeking permission. Officials in the cricket headquarters in Lahore, requesting not to be identified , said Akram was issued a show cause notice by the cricket operations department last month.

"Without going into the contents of Akram's exact wordings, he admitted in his reply that he had to leave England in urgency and without securing clearance from the team management" sources said.

The officials further clarified that the show cause was not issued by the disciplinary committee but by the cricket operations department in the first week on September. The documents of the case was, however, later forwarded to the competent authority for action.

"The disciplinary committee analyzed the charges, Akram's reply before recommending a three-year ban," sources said, adding: "The disciplinary committee was not satisfied with Akram's explanation." Sources further said that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was in the process of finalizing the issue by making public the decision by next week.

However, the sources said although a three-year ban has been recommended, the PCB was likely to impose a one season ban along with some cash penalty. "The PCB is also taking into account that cricket was Akram's livelihood and will be injustice if he is banned for three years which effectively ends his career." But the officials said the PCB has made up its mind not to compromise on discipline which the present setup has put it on its highest priority. The PCB also suspended Shahid Afridi, Hasan Raza and Atiq-uz- Zaman last year on various charges of misconduct.