Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi appeal against PCB penalties

Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi have lodged appeals against the penalties imposed on them by the PCB in the aftermath of a disastrous tour of Australia.

Afridi, who was named Pakistan's captain for the World Twenty20, was fined Rs 3 million (US$35,000) for his ball-biting incident in Perth, for which he was also banned for two Twenty20 matches by the ICC. Younis and Yousuf, meanwhile, were accused by the PCB of being a bad influence on the Pakistan team due to "their infighting" and "attitude".

"Yes I have sent a notice to the Chief Operating Officer of the board Wasim Bari, asking him on what grounds have I been fined by the board," Afridi was quoted as saying by PTI. "I have taken the plea that when the board chairman Ijaz Butt himself has said on record that the PCB would not punish me twice for the same offence how can they fine me now for ball tampering."

Ahmed Qayyum, the lawyer for Younis, said he had sent a letter to the board asking them to explain on what grounds the indefinite ban was imposed on his client. "The chargesheet they have sent to Younis contains no proper evidence or explanation to back up the indefinite ban, there is no reasoning given for the ban," he said. "We have basically asked the board to provide us with solid evidence that Younis was involved in infighting with Yousuf and that they disrupted the team's dressing room atmosphere.

"We want this issue to be settled amicably and the ban to be ended but if that does not happen then we will go to the court."

The duo were among seven players penalised for various reasons. Mohammad Yousuf and Younis were banned indefinitely by the PCB, Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan were banned for a year while Afridi and the Akmal brothers were fined and placed on probation for six months. Malik and Naved, too, reports have suggested, are preparing to lodge an appeal. The penalties were imposed on March 10, and the players have 30 days to appeal against them.

The PCB last week appointed two retired Supreme Court judges - Muneer Sheikh and Jamshed Ali Shah - and a former High Court judge, Irfan Qadir, to deal with the appeals.