Shoaib faces life ban, says source
Karachi: Controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar faces a life ban following his latest outburst which evoked anger among top PCB officials. “This time he has gone too far. We had already issued a notice to him to explain his earlier statements against the policies of the board. Now he will face more punitive action,” a senior PCB official said on condition of anonymity.
He made it clear that in the next few days, the board will decide on banning Shoaib from the ongoing Pentangular Cup.
Shoaib had described the tournament as grade B cricket and lashed out at the board for providing dead kookaburra balls and a flat pitch for the federal areas match against Punjab.
The official said Shoaib was already under a one-year probation period during which, if he indulged in any misconduct, he could face an automatic life ban.
“Even if he is not contracted to us, there are certain playing conditions for the Pentangular Cup and also in the board constitution which don’t permit players to make such controversial and wrong statements,” the official explained.
Bucknor to return
Dhaka: Umpire Steve Bucknor will return to cricket for two Test matches between Bangladesh and South Africa this month. Jamaican Bucknor was dropped by the ICC from a Test series in Australia last month following protest from India.
Bucknor will stand in with Pakistan’s Aleem Dar in the first and second Tests, starting on February 22 and 29, respectively.
Smith’s worry
Dhaka: A dispute over the number of black players in their squad could hamper South Africa’s performance in the tour of Bangladesh, captain Graeme Smith said on Thursday. “It hasn’t been great what’s happened back at home... It probably does put a lot of extra pressure on the individuals here and all the team,” Smith said.
Bird’s statue
London: A bronze statue of England’s best-known umpire Harold ‘Dickie’ Bird will be unveiled in his Yorkshire home town of Barnsley this year with replicas in Melbourne and a site in India, the BBC reported on Thursday.
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