Civil court lifts bans life ban Salim Malik

Lahore, Oct 23 (UNI) A civil court toady lifted the ban and fine imposed on former Pakistan skipper Salim Malik for alleged involvement in the match fixing.

''It's decided that the imposition of penalty and life ban were beyond the powers of the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) and could not have been done and had no legal basis,'' Malik's lawyer Shahid Karim said.

Malik was banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in 2001 on the recommendations of a judicial inquiry commission after a probe into allegations of match-fixing.

The commission recommended a life ban and for Malik and fines on other senior players including pace bowler Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Later, the former middle-order batsman Malik had challenged the ban in the Supreme Court, which referred the case to a civil court.

After the court's verdict, a visibly happy Malik said, ''It is a big day for me. I am overjoyed that finally this stigma of match fixing is gone.'' However, PCB legal consel Tafazzul Rizvi said the board would abide by the court's ruling.

''If the court has passed an order we will honour it,'' Rizvi said.

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