PCB buries hatchet, drops defamation suit against Shoaib

Lahore, May 5 (UNI) A day after he was cleared to play in the IPL, controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar received another major relief as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Nasim Ashraf has decided to drop the Rs 220 million defamation suit against him.

The decision comes following a meeting between Ashraf and Shoaib at the house of a senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader which was organised by the Prime Minister's adviser on nterior affairs Rehman Malik in Islamabad last night, local media reported.

According to PCB lawyer Tafazzul Rizvi, the Board decided to drop the suit against Shoaib after the paceman apologised to Ashraf during the meeting.

Earlier, Shoaib alleged in an interview that the PCB chief had demanded money from him to allow him to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Later, the PCB chief had slapped a Rs 220 million defamation suit against the player in this regard.

Shoaib Akhtar, who was banned for five years by the PCB, had also got the ruling suspended for a month by an appellate tribunal yesterday.

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