Islamabad, Sep 27 (IANS) It is still not clear whether Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, known for his indiscipline, will be able to play national Twenty20 series starting Oct 4 as a court is yet to take a decision on his ban.Shoaib was banned for five years by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on disciplinary grounds but the Appellate Court reduced the ban to 18 months and fined him Rs.7 million.

Then the Lahore High Court (LHC) lifted the ban but asked the cricketer to pay the fine. According to PCB officials, Shoaib is yet to pay the fine.

Last week PCB had requested the LHC to clear whether Shoaib can play national cricket without paying the fine. No one from the board appeared in the court after which the judge ordered Shoaib or his lawyer to appear in the court Oct 3 as the Twenty20 tournament is starting the next day.

However the government has announced national holidays from Oct 1-3 on account of Eid. In these circumstances it is not clear whether Shoaib will be able to play the national tournament or not. He has been selected for the Islamabad team for Twenty20.

PCB’s legal adviser Taffazul Hussain Rizvi told IANS that this application should have been filed in the court by Shoaib but said: “He (Shoaib) seems least interested in court matters”.

Meanwhile, fast bowler Mohammed Asif has hired a lawyer to deal with his doping cases. The fast bowler, who played for Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League (IPL), tested positive during a dope test. Asif’s close aide told IANS that he is also preparing to file a case against the doping test results.

Former captain Salim Malik is another former cricketer who has moved court against the PCB decision for imposing lifetime ban on him after he was held guilty of throwing matches for money in 1999. He has challenged the decision in the LHC which is likely to hear it by the end of this year.