Temperamental fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has gone on the warpath with the Pakistan Cricket Board insisting he will not respond to any notices sent to him by the PCB over his recent critical statements in the media.
Shoaib told reporters after the Pentangular Cup match between Federal Areas and Punjab at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday that since he was not a contracted player of the PCB, the board had no right to question him over what he said in the media.
"I am not contracted to them. So I am not bound to respond to their notice. How can they seek any explanation from me," he said.
"They can send me as many notices as they want but I know my rights and when I am not contracted to them I am not going to answer them," the maverick bowler said.
Shoaib and the board have been at loggerheads for a while now and after being dropped from the new central contracts list, the bowler accused the board of having double standards and of having a dual policy on players.
The board has given him seven days time to explain or withdraw his statement.
But on Wednesday, Shoaib was again highly vocal in his criticism of the boards policies.
Having gone wicketless on a dead track in the domestic match, Shoaib said the domestic cricket being organised by the board was more like a 'B' grade tournament.
"What purpose is served by preparing such a pitch! Who will gain from it! We have had to use dead Kookaburra balls in the match. But by bowling 18 overs I have proved my match fitness to everyone," he said.
Shoaib also made it clear he would play just one more match in the Pentangular Cup as he had prior commitments. He also dismissed the board's statement that he needed to sign a retainer with them to get an NOC to play in the Indian Premier League.
"Why do I need an NOC from them. I have no contract with them. So why this NOC condition and secondly this is a matter between me and the IPL and not the board," he stated.
The temperamental bowler was last year banned for 13 matches and fined Rs 3.4 million on four charges of misconduct including a brawl with teammate Mohammad Asif for which he was sent back from South Africa.
The disciplinary action also included a one year probation period during which if any more charges of misconduct were proved against him he faced an automatic life ban.
