ISLAMABAD, April 14: The Senate Standing Committee on Sports on Monday failed to provide any solution to the ongoing cricket row involving banned speedster Shoaib Akhtar and the Pakistan Cricket Board, leaving the matter to the re-

cently set-up Appellate Tribunal which meets on the 17th.

“Our sympathies are with Shoaib Akhtar but we can’t do anything as the matter is subjudice,” said committee chairman Senator Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry after listening to the arguments from the controversial fast bowler as well as the PCB officials including its Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf for about three hours. He also expressed hope that the appellate tribunal would come out with a fair verdict to the case.

The committee’s meeting had been requisitioned by Senator Enver Baig of the PPP, Abdur Rahim Mandokhel of the PKMAP and Tahir Mashhadi of the MQM to discuss the ban imposed by the PCB on Shoaib for allegedly violating the players’ code of conduct.

Besides the PCB chairman, the meeting was also attended by the head of the disciplinary committee, Lt-Gen (retd) Munir Hafeez and other top officials of the board.

Lt-Gen (retd) Hafeez made a detailed presentation about Shoaib’s alleged misconduct and offences during the pacer’s playing tenure with the national squad.

Munir informed the Senate Committee members that Shoaib had admitted to all charges levelled against him at the inquiry session earlier this month. A state-run television footage was also shown during the committee meeting in which Shoaib was shown accepting his misconduct and bad behaviour against fellow player Muhammad Asif. Shoaib was slapped a fine of Rs3.4 million and a 13-match ban for hitting the fellow pacer with a bat by the PCB last year.

Shoaib was also given a chance to defend himself on each and every allegation made by Hafeez in his report.

In his defence Shoaib, known as the Rawalpindi Express, held all-rounder Shahid Afridi responsible for the ugly incident in South Africa and said Asif came from nowhere during the argument and the bat was accidently struck by him. He added that he had apologized to Asif at the very moment and also in a press conference in Lahore later on.

However, while responding to various queries from the Senate Committee members, Shoaib alleged that many members of the national cricket team as well as the board officials indulged in heavy drinking during the foreign tours but no charge was ever labelled against them. “Almost all the PCB officials visited the night clubs during the foreign tours and consumed liquor but no action has ever been taken against them,” said Shoaib.

Shoaib further said he was always under scrutiny for no rhyme or reason while other players were free to have their way. He reminded the committee of Younis Khan’s visit to Mumbai when the team was playing elsewhere in India but no one questioned his absence.

Shoaib also questioned the double standards of PCB, arguing why Javed Miandad was not penalised for raising a bat against Dennis Lillee in the ’80s.

“I have played 11 years of cricket for this nation and would like to retire honourably but am always singled out for so-called ‘violations’.

“Yes, I have criticised the board for some of its policies like that of making dead wickets but that is not a crime or is it,” argued the pacer.

He accused the PCB officials of not giving him a patient hearing over problems and said he had no choice but to vent his emotions in the media.

Shoaib surprised all present by disclosing that soon after he tested positive for the dope test, he informed the PCB Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf of the same in London’s Hilton Hotel. “But even then, I was playing a Test match in South Africa.” He also criticized the PCB for its loopholes, citing the example of a confidential letter that he wrote to PCB which to his amazement, ‘was made public the next day through newspapers.’

Referring to the remarks made by coach Bob Woolmer that “Shoaib is an energy sapper for all of the back-up staff and thinks the world revolves around him”, the maverick pacer said he couldn’t play every match at hundred percent fitness since his physique demanded choosy approach. “I have had injury problems but who doesn’t? Woolmer awas also influenced by some quarters. Tell me, why does the PCB chairman comes into the dressing room so often when the ICC Anti-Corruption cell has a strict ruling that no one is allowed inside the players’ domain?” asked Shoaib.

He requested the Senators to ensure that no discriminatory behaviour is adopted by the board against him.

Dr Nasim, in his reply to the hard-hitting questions, said his presence in players’ dressing room was perfectly within the rules of the ICC as the board’s chairman had no such restrictions imposed on him.

He said that during the World Cup, Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar were not selected since they had fitness problems and not because of positive dope tests.

The PCB chief further said that the matter was now with the Appellate Tribunal headed by a judge, adding it would not be wise to discuss the gory details of the saga.

Later, Senator Abdur Rahim Khan Mandokhail said that the institution of the PCB should be strengthened and there should be no compromise on discipline. However, he requested the board to ease up its stance on Shoaib.