Shoaib Akhtar again in the news: threatened PCB about bouncing a lawsuit over World Twenty20 axing

September 30th, 2009 LAHORE - The Pakistan Cricket Board's senior selection committee has axed controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and middle order batsman Misbah-ul-Haq from a list of 25 probables for the forthcoming series against New Zealand and Australia. Pakistan is to play three One-day Internationals and two Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and a three-match Test series in New Zealand.

September 8th, 2009 KARACHI - Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ijaz Butt Tuesday pardoned Shoaib Akhtar after the controversial fast bowler apologized for criticizing the PCB and the national team management in a television show. "We don't want to further continue this matter as Shoaib has apologized for his mistake," the PCB chairman said.

August 10th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan's chief cricket selector Iqbal Qasim has said controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar still has a future with the national side, but he must prove his fitness to be seriously considered. "The door is not closed on Shoaib, he can still play cricket for Pakistan in future.

July 30th, 2009 KARACHI - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sent reminders to its centrally-contracted players to refrain from giving media interviews without prior permission. A senior PCB official told IANS Thursday that the move came after controversial pacer Shoaib Akhtar was sent a show-cause notice after he gave a hard-hitting interview on a television channel.

July 27th, 2009 LAHORE - Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Shaharyar Khan has supported Shoaib Akhtar's omission from the 30-member ICC Champions Trophy squad, saying that the mercurial pacer is not fit to even make it to a list of 50. "In his present condition leave alone making the preliminary list of 30 players, Shoaib can't even make a list of 50 players for the tournament," Shaharyar told a private TV channel in London.

July 17th, 2009 KARACHI - Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar has been given another chance to prove his fitness ahead of the team selection for the one-day series against Sri Lanka, scheduled to begin July 30. Pakistans interim chief selector Wasim Bari has asked Shoaib to attend a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore later Friday.

July 10th, 2009 KARACHI - Enigmatic Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is expected to know over this weekend whether he is eligible for an international comeback as he awaits results of a series of strenuous tests at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. Shoaib, who turns 34 next month, has been asked by interim chief selector Wasim Bari to appear in a series of fitness tests which will be supervised by expert trainers.

July 9th, 2009 KARACHI - Controversial Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has declared himself hundred percent fit, saying he would soon force his way back into the national squad. Akhtar, who was left out of World Twenty20 team due to a skin infection and was being referred to as a spent force by experts, said he would make his critics eat their words through his performances.

July 8th, 2009 KARACHI - Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has vowed to silence his critics by giving a forceful performance on his return to international cricket soon. Im going to silence the people who are talking against me by making a successful return to international cricket, Shoaib told Geo Television in an interview Wednesday.

July 1st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Former Pakistan fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz has said Shoaib Akhtar must prove his hundred percent fitness if he wants to secure a berth in the national team. Nawaz said if Akhtar proved his fitness, he would definitely be included in the squad.

June 26th, 2009 LAHORE - Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has attributed the team's World Twenty20 win to the special sessions conducted by a sports psychologist ahead of their visit to England. Praising captain Younis Khan for his skills, Malik said the sessions that the team had with the psychologist, greatly helped the players to overcome their negative frame of mind and focus on the target only.

May 31st, 2009 KARACHI - Pakistan speedster Umar Gul is banking upon his stupendous form in the Twenty20 version of the game to help his side win the World Twenty20 Championship this time around. Gul, who single handedly took the game away from Australia in the Twenty20 match played in Dubai earlier this month, said he would continue his aggressive style of bowling during the cricket extravaganza, starting in England from June 5.

May 30th, 2009 KARACHI - Pakistan cricket coach Intikhab Alam Saturday came under severe criticsm after he didn't allow the national team's players to take part in the final of the National Twenty20 Cup that was played in Lahore, Friday night. Intikhab decided against allowing some of his team members including all-rounder Shoaib Malik, opener Salman Butt, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and opener Ahmed Shahzad.

May 25th, 2009 KARACHI - Medium pacer Rao Iftikhar Anjum has been confirmed a replacement to injured pacer Shoaib Akhtar in Pakistans squad for next months World Twenty20 Championship. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced in a statement that Pakistan has been allowed to pick Rao in its 15-man squad for the June 5-21 spectacle following a clearance from the technical committee of the World Twenty20 Championship.

May 23rd, 2009 KARACHI - Pakistan cricket is bracing for yet another controversy after enigmatic fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar Saturday decided to lead Islamabad Leopards in the National Twenty20 Cup to prove his fitness for the next month's Twenty20 World Cup. Shoaib, who was unhappy over the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decision to drop him from the 15-man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in England on fitness grounds, wants to prove his fitness in the tournament starting Monday.