ICC to review the ban?

UNDATED, Jan 5 (AFP/Reuters): The head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Tauqir Zia said Tuesday he would make an all-out effort to save the career of express pacer Shoaib Akhtar who has been banned over his illegal bowling action.

"We are committed to save the future of world's fastest bowler, our national asset and a hero," PCB chairman told AFP in Karachi.

A nine-man International Cricket Council (ICC) committee last week banned Akhtar because of his bowling action, hours after his arrival with the Pakistan team in Australia.

Pakistan has lodged an appeal against the decision.

Meanwhile, reports from Adelaide say that the ICC has agreed to review its suspension of the paceman.

Tauqir Zia told reporters that he had had a detailed discussion with ICC chairman Jaghmohan Dalmiya who had asked for a complete summary of Pakistan's case.

"Dalmiya wants us to establish the facts and dispatch to him as soon as possible," Zia said. "He (Dalmiya) will then refer our case to the advisory panel for further review."

Zia said Pakistan's case would be sent to Dalmiya on Wednesday.

Zia said the PCB would challenge Akhtar's suspension because only six of the nine members of the panel took part in the tele-conference on December 30.

"The video footage provided by the ICC did not show Akhtar bowling six deliveries of an over. Instead, he was shown bowling only express fast deliveries or bouncers," he said.

Zia said the PCB had lodged a separate protest with the advisory panel chief Sir Clyde Walcott. "But we have not received any response from them as yet," he said.

Akhtar has been advised by Australian former star pacer Dennis Lillee to spend a few days at a cricket academy in Perth to obtain video of his bowling action from different angles before his return," he said.

"West Indian Michael Holding, former Pakistani cricket hero Imran Khan and former Pakistani Test cricketer Sarfraz Nawaz will also be asked to help the young blower," Zia said.

He quoted Dalmiya as saying: "The relation with the board and future of a player is at stake. And if it (the objection) is on one delivery, it is unfair."

"We are not going to let his future be spoiled. Such bowlers are not born every day. Blowers like Shoaib are treasurers for the game of cricket," the PCB chairman said.

"And once he comes back, he would remain under training as we want him back in action for the home Test series against Sri Lanka in February," he said.

"He does not have to worry. He will be taken care of," Zia said.

The PCB does not want to pick a row with the ICC, he said.

"But in my opinion, the ICC has not done justice to us. I do not know whether it was deliberate or not. You cannot throw somebody out for raising objections on one delivery."

"He has played 13 Tests and 26 one-day internationals and was watched by world class umpires like David Shepheerd, Buckner, Peter Willey but suddenly when the team goes to Australia things started happening. Why do such things start in Australia?"

Match referee John Reid of New Zealand raised suspicions over Akhtar's bowling action in his report to the ICC after the Pakistan-Australia Tests series in November.

'We have asked the ICC to send us videos of Sri Lankan Mutiah Muralitharan, West Indian Courtney Walsh and South African Shaun Pollock so that we can compare Akhtar's bowling with their actions," Zia said.