Shoaib can't play in IPL unless ban is lifted

Two days after being handed out a five-year ban for bringing cricket into disrepute, Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar on Thursday suffered another major setback with the Indian Premier League (IPL) also debarring him from taking part in the cash-rich event.

The IPL's Governing Council made it clear that Akhtar would not play in the Indian Premier League unless its counterpart, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), lifted the five-year ban on him.

Shoaib, who was banned after several run-ins with the board on disciplinary issues, had on Wednesday said that he intended to take the Pakistan cricket board to court if necessary. The bowler asserted that he had always thought of Pakistan's cricket interests and never gave in to the offers made by match fixers.

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