Pakistan great Akram slams shock bans

Fast bowling legend Wasim Akram said Thursday bans on key players for their dismal performance in Australia had made Pakistan's cricket "a laughing stock" and should be reconsidered.

Akram was commenting on the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) decision Wednesday to ban former captains Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf indefinitely from the national side following this year's disastrous Australian tour.

In a humiliating whitewash, Pakistan lost all three Tests, all five one-day internationals and the lone Twenty20 international while touring Australia from December to February.

A committee appointed to investigate the fiasco blamed the result on infighting between Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan and, among other sanctions, recommended they "should not be part of the national team in any format."

The six-man panel headed by PCB chief operating officer Wasim Bari also banned Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan for one year on charges of violating the players' code of conduct.

Other recommendations included a three-million-rupee (35,500-US-dollar) fine for Shahid Afridi, who was caught by TV cameras biting the ball during the Australian tour's final one-day match, in Perth.

The Akmal brothers, Kamran Akmal and Umar, were also fined and put on a six-month probation for violating discipline on tour.

Akram, who was a member of the committee but did not attend any of its meetings held last month, said the bans on Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan were embarrassing. "These penalties have made Pakistan cricket a laughing stock in the world," Akram told AFP from Mumbai, where he is on a coaching assignment. "You don't ban players for such problems. Had I attended any meeting or given recommendations I would have suggested fines, but not bans." NEW DELHI, AFP