Court demands lowdown on Shoaib

Shoaib Akhtar is put through his paces at Pakistan's training camp in Karachi

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The Lahore High Court has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board for “the full record” of Shoaib Akhtar's misdemeanours as the fast bowler’s protracted appeal against his 18-month ban continues.

The 33-year-old is contesting both the ban - which he feels would effectively end his international career - and the seven million rupees fine.

The case has finally reached court - six adjournments after the ban was suspended in July - and the court now wants to hear evidence of Shoaib's bad behaviour before proceeding further with the case.

"Akhtar assured the court of good behaviour, but he violated the code again by criticising the PCB in a recent television interview," PCB lawyer Taffazul Rizvi said.

"The court has demanded the full evidence on that within a week.

"We have a recording of that interview.

"The court will resume the proceedings a day after getting the full record."

Shoaib was originally handed a career-threatening five-year ban by the PCB in April after publicly criticising the national board's allocation of central contracts. Shoaib's own contract had been downgraded at the time.

That ban was reduced to 18 months with the addition of a seven million rupees fine, payable to the PCB, by an appellate tribunal, in June.

Shoaib, however, appealed that decision by taking the matter to the Lahore High Court, who heard the case on July 4 and suspended the ban pending the final judgment.