On Thursday evening, the PCB constituted a three-man disciplinary committee to hear the case of the seasoned allrounder, who has fallen out with PCB following his removal as Pakistan captain last month.
Sultan Rana, PCB’s director domestic cricket, will chair the panel that includes Shafiq Ahmed (PCB’s GM Domestic Cricket) and Usman Wahla (Manager International Cricket). All three of them are PCB employees.
Afridi, 31, is facing a hefty fine after pleading guilty to a violation of PCB’s code of conduct. The star cricketer was sacked as Pakistan captain last month in spite of the fact that he was hailed as a hero after leading a depleted Pakistan team into the World Cup semifinals in March.
Ten days after the snub, Afridi announced his retirement and lashed out at the PCB for its “ill-treatment” toward him.
PCB responded by issuing Afridi a show-cause notice and suspending his central contract. It also revoked all NOCs granted to the player, meaning that it has blocked his participation in the ongoing English Twenty20 competition. Afridi had signed up to play for Hampshire in the event.
Sources told Arab News that the board has made up its mind to ‘punish’ Afridi. In a statement released to the media, the PCB announced that in case the committee recommends any action against Afridi, the player will have a right to appeal against it.
“The aggrieved party against an order of Disciplinary Committee may file an appeal. The forum available is the Appellate Tribunal. Under PCB’s Constitution, PCB maintains an independent panel of arbitrators who are all eminent retired judges of High Courts,” said a PCB statement issued on Thursday.
“Should an appeal be preferred, an Appellate Tribunal will be formed from amongst the independent panel of arbitrators. Please note that the decision of the Appellate Tribunal shall be final and binding on both parties.
A senior Board official said in the statement that the Afridi issue was a source of pain for the PCB.
“It is painful for us to get involved in a dispute with a cricketer who has been the national team captain until the West Indies series 2011. There are numerous contributions by Shahid Afridi to Pakistan cricket,” said Subhan Ahmed, the PCB chief operating officer.
“But I think people need to understand that this is purely a disciplinary issue. As the body managing cricket in the country we are duty bound to maintain discipline at all levels. We will ensure that Shahid is given every opportunity to express and defend himself and as such the disciplinary process has been clearly spelt out to avoid any ambiguities”.
Meanwhile, Afridi continues to garner support from all quarters. The latest one to join the bandwagon was Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who has urged the player to reverse his retirement decision.
Malik, who has been taking a keen interest in national cricket and hockey matters in recent times, said that he was Afridi’s fan and is ready to play a role in resolving his tussle with the PCB.
"I will do whatever I can to resolve this issue, as I am equally a fan of Afridi," Malik tweeted. "I hope to give u (you) some good news in the future."
