Shoaib hearing postponed again

Shoaib Akhtar is heading back to Pakistan following a brief spell with Surrey

Buy this photo

The Lahore High Court today postponed a hearing on Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar's plea to overturn an 18-month ban.

Shoaib was banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board on disciplinary grounds for five years, but that ban was reduced by an appellate tribunal to 18 months.

The tribunal had also imposed a fine of seven million rupees.

Shoaib appealed in the Lahore High Court and the ban was temporarily suspended, pending a final decision from the court.

The court was to hear the case earlier this month, but the hearing was postponed due to the swearing in of Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari.

The hearing came up again today, but was postponed again to October 3.

"Akhtar's lawyer was not present in court so the judge postponed the hearing," PCB legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi told reporters.

"Justice Sayed Zahid Hussain has postponed the hearing to the earliest possible date."

Shoaib, who had a short stint in the LV County Championship with Surrey earlier this month, was picked to play for the Islamabad team in the domestic Twenty20 competition to be played between October 4-8.