Akhtar to get a fair hearing: Judge

KARACHI: The retired judge appointed to head the three-member appellate tribunal, which will hear Shoaib Akhtar's appeal against his five-year ban, today said the pacer would be given a fair hearing. Aftab Farukh, a former Judge of the Lahore High Court, said he was aware of the importance of the case but asserted that the tribunal would not be influenced by anybody and would only go by the evidence presented before it.

"The appellate tribunal will work independently and without any pressure. We will give fair hearings to both parties. We will also look at the evidence with both parties before we reach a final decision," Farukh said. Former Test player and chief selector Haseeb Ahsan and well known business magnate and a former Federal minister Salman Taseer are the other members on the tribunal.

Shoaib was banned for five years last week by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on several counts of indiscipline including violation of his two-year probation period. He lodged an appeal through his lawyer, who claimed the ban was illegal and unconstitutional.