PCB wants to prove Akhtar's conduct in court

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would try to justify the disciplinary action taken by it against Shoaib Akhtar as it has sought permission from the Lahore high court to present excerpts from his autobiography, which the board feels gives a good account of former paceman's own conduct.

Akhtar, who has now retired from international cricket, had filed a writ petition two years back against the 18-month ban and seven million rupees (around $80,000) fine imposed on him by a PCB arbitration tribunal, reports PTI.

Akhtar was provided temporary relief by the court, which suspended the ban, allowing him to resume his international career, but didn't give a ruling on the fine.

PCB got that fine by deducting money from Akhtar's dues with the board and the fast bowler now wants his money back.

A recent scheduled hearing could not held and PCB legal advisor said they have filed an application with the court that when the hearing is held they want permission to submit excerpts of Akhtar's autobiography to prove his conduct.

"We will submit relevant portions of the biography relating to his conduct to confirm to the court that the action taken against him by the arbitration tribunal was justified. We will with the help of the autobiography convince the court about his past conduct," PCB legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi said.

The biography - 'Controversially Yours' - has caused a storm in India as the book carries some controversial remarks about the Indian players, PCB and his fellow team-mates.

Akhtar's comments about batting icons Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid led to cancellation of book-launch ceremonies in Mumbai and Bangalore.

Akhtar claimed in his book that Tendulkar and Dravid were not match winners in the early days of their respective careers.

Akhtar should apologise to Tendulkar, Dravid: BCCI

Senior BCCI functionary Rajiv Shukla on Saturday demanded an apology from Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar for making disparaging remarks against India's batting stalwarts such as Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in his biography.

In the just-released book 'Controversially Yours', Akhtar had words of praise for Tendulkar and Dravid but his remark that they lacked ability to finish off games early in their respective careers has created a controversy, reports PTI.

Shukla, a senior BCCI official and IPL chairman, said Tendulkar did not need any certificate from Akhtar as his class was acknowledged by none other than Sir Don Bradman.

"He (Tendulkar) is still touching new heights and as far as Dravid is concerned, he is continuing to play some great knocks, which shows his commitment to the team. Whatever Shoaib has written is distasteful.

"A player such as Tendulkar does not need any certificate from Shoaib as he got that from Australian legend Sir Don Bradman. Tendulkar does not need to prove anything to Shoaib. He must apologise to both Tendulkar and Dravid," Shukla said.

Talking about India's forgettable England tour, Shukla blamed injuries to key players for the debacle.

"The main reason for the defeats was that some of our key players were not in the team due to injuries. But we must say that England players were outstanding and whoever plays better wins," Shukla said.

The new IPL chairman rebutted the suggestions that players were overworked and that their injuries aggravated by playing in the T20 league.

"We have a lot of players in the reserve slot. When a player gets injured or wants to take rest due to fatigue, he informs and we replace him. We did the same during the England tour and we got some new talent. Nobody now can say that the schedule of the Indian team is tight. We play as much as some other leading nations," he said.