Two sides of Cricket

Shoaib given five-year suspension

Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has been banned for five years by the Pakistan Cricket Board following a disciplinary hearing in Rawalpindi.

The 32-year-old, who was on a two-year probation for attacking team-mate Mohammad Asif with a bat, was charged with publicly criticising the PCB.

"We felt his presence damaged Pakistan cricket's image," the PCB said.

The ban covers international matches and domestic games in Pakistan but not the Twenty20 Indian Premier League.

Shoaib has been plagued by injury and controversy since he began his international career in November 1997.

Guyana360: So in Pakistan a world fast bowler can be suspended for actions that literally hurt the team, but in the West Indies players continue to show scant regard for authority.

Last year while there were wide spread speculation that the team was out partying in the wee hours of the morning prior to their World Cup encounter against Sri Lanka at the Providence Stadium, no member from the WICB uttered a single word chiding the team or at least calling for an investigation.

Now today we have senior regional batsman and former West Indies captain, Shivnarine Chanderpaul (see post below) leaving the Guyana team stranded during a regional match. Did we mention he left without telling anyone? Not only did he leave the game, but he fled to T&T undetected. In fact the coaches wanted to file a missing persons report.

This is a classic example of indiscipline, and this time the culprit must face the consequences.