The New Nation - Internet Edition

BBC Online

Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar will go to court if necessary to challenge a ban ruling him out of international and domestic cricket for five years.

The fast bowler, 32, was banned at a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday for publicly criticising the Pakistan Cricket Board.

"If the board rejects my appeal I will go to the High Court and Supreme Court to get justice," said the bowler.

"I haven't murdered anyone, so why such a harsh penalty?"

Shoaib claimed he had been made the scapegoat after Pakistan's Test and one-day series defeats by rivals India at the end of last year.

And he hit out at the PCB when he was not given one of the 15 central contracts in January, refusing to sign a special retainer contract on offer instead.

Shoaib, who was mobbed by fans during Wednesday news conference, added: "I will definitely be filing the appeal in the next two days and will follow the PCB procedure.

"I feel I have been personally victimised by the board. If I have committed any violation of discipline I should be told about it."

Pakistan's 1992 World Cup winning captain, Imran Khan, supports the view that Shoaib was harshly treated by the board.

"It is totally unacceptable. This ban, it literally ends his [international] career," Imran said during a TV interview.

"The board must keep in mind that we also need to win matches and keep our pride in international cricket."

Another former Pakistan captain, Zaheer Abbas, said the absence of Shoaib would only weaken the national team.

"He had some two years of cricket left in him and we should have taken advantage of him, while maintaining discipline," he said.

"I don't know what these people are trying to do. The cricketers are not schoolboys to be treated like this."

Former Pakistan batsman Rameez Raja, however, insisted the ban was justified.

"No one is bigger than the game and he had it coming because of his attitude problems," Rameez commented.