LAHORE, 30 July 2003 — A Pakistani court yesterday warned pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar of serious consequences should he fail to appear over a petition demanding an apology for his criticisms of fellow cricketers, officials said.

“Akhtar or his lawyer must appear in the court on Sept. 1 and respond to a petition against his newspaper interview,” Judge Mudassar Umer Bodla said.

“A new summons will be issued against him,” a court official told AFP.

The judge took a serious view of the failure of Akhtar to respond to an earlier subpoena about two weeks ago, the official said.

A local resident, Syed Najmul Abbas, filed the petition earlier this month demanding an apology from Akhtar for his newspaper interview, claiming that it hurt national integrity.

Akhtar, 27, known as the “Rawalpindi Express” for his extraordinary pace, reportedly told Britain’s Guardian newspaper in June: “Imagine if I was playing for Australia with Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie softening them up, then I come on, I’d have got more wickets than anyone ever, mate.”

He went on: “Because when I play for Pakistan, with Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis they are in decline. They were great but they’re not match-winning bowlers any more. So I have to make it all happen on my own.”

The petitioner’s lawyer Ansar Mahmood Bajwa said cricketers are role models for young people and “must act properly”.

Akhtar, who has called the petition a publicity stunt, is likely to miss the hearing as he is currently playing for Durham in the English domestic country cricket competition. He will also skip Pakistan’s home series against Bangladesh next month before returning in late September.

Akhtar, who recorded a 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour delivery for a second time during Pakistan’s first round exit in the World Cup this year, has been told by the country’s cricket chief Tauqir Zia to avoid misdemeanors on and off the cricket field.

Latif Appointed Captain Until New Zealand Tour

In Karachi, the Pakistan Cricket Board said yesterday that Rashid Latif would remain captain until the tour of New Zealand early next year.

Having recently announced that the 34-year-old wicketkeeper would be captain for next month’s home series against Bangladesh, PCB chief Tauqir Zia said he would be allowed a longer run in the job.

“Rashid is our captain until the tour of New Zealand in December-January 2004 and we have no intention of dropping our rebuilding policy after the World Cup,” Zia said.

“We have decided to give the captain, coach and players a run of three to four series against Bangladesh, South Africa and New Zealand in the rebuilding process,” he added.

Latif was appointed captain in place of Waqar Younis after Pakistan failed to qualify for the Super Sixes of the World Cup.

In another development, Pakistan has called for a check on International Cricket Council (ICC) umpires after claiming too many decisions went against them in the last one-day match against England at Lord’s in their 2-1 defeat in the NatWest series in June.

“We are concerned with the inconsistency shown by umpires on the elite panel and we have sent a letter to the ICC on this issue,” Zia told a news conference.

“We have suggested that the ICC appoint a review committee for the purpose of monitoring their recent performances and recommended to bring more consistency in the performances of the elite panel of umpires,” he added.

The panel of ICC umpires and referees was introduced in April 2002 and two neutral umpires from the Panel now control all Test matches while one officiates with a home umpire for all One-Day Internationals.

The 11 umpire elite panel has no-one from Pakistan.

Hampshire Keen on Vaas as Wasim’s Replacement

In London, English county second division championship side Hampshire look set to announce Sri Lanka paceman Chaminda Vaas as their foreign player replacement for veteran Pakistani Wasim Akram it was revealed yesterday.

The 29-year-old Sri Lankan, taker of 216 wickets in 68 Tests and 282 in 227 One-Day Internationals, held talks with the county after Zimbabwean captain Heath Streak rejected their advances for a second spell there. “There are still some things to sort out but we hope to make an announcement later this week,” said Hampshire’s first-team manager Paul Terry.