Pakistan board chief withdraws lawsuit against Akhtar

Posted 05 6 2008 12:20AM

KARACHI (AFP) - Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Nasim Ashraf said Monday he had withdrawn a defamation lawsuit against Shoaib Akhtar after the banned fast bowler made a public apology.

The 32-year-old paceman was banned for five years last month for breaching the players' code of conduct by criticising the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) when it did not offer him a central contract in January.

Ashraf and the PCB sued him for three million dollars after Akhtar alleged in an interview the day after the ban that the board chief had demanded payments from the bowler's contract to play in an Indian tournament.

"I have withdrawn the defamation case as my honour was vindicated after Akhtar apologised publicly and retracted his baseless allegations," Ashraf told AFP.

"I forgive him as it was a matter of principle," he added, with the PCB also withdrawing its suit.

Local media said that Pakistan's prime ministerial advisor on interior affairs, Rehman Malik, brokered the deal at a dinner in his house in Islamabad on Sunday night where Ashraf forgave Akhtar.

The civil court in Lahore had summoned Akhtar for a hearing on May 16.

Akhtar made his surprise apology last week in an apparent attempt to further his appeal against the ban.

A three-member appeals tribunal last week said that Akhtar was free to play abroad, but it said that it would make a final decision next month on the ban stopping him playing in Pakistan or for the national team.

Akhtar said his real fight was still on.

"I am pleased to have my ban suspended which has paved my way to play in India but the real task is ahead and that is to overturn the ban on me," Akhtar told AFP.

"I want to play for my country and bow out on a high. What has happened to me was disappointing but I want to fight the ban and will resume my appeal on my return."