Shoaib confident of removal of PCB ban

Desperate to wear Pakistan colours again, former captain Shoaib Malik said he is confident that the 12-month ban imposed on him by the Cricket Board (PCB) will be removed by the appeals judge.

Malik said since he had done nothing wrong in his career, he was not under any kind of pressure.

"I have filed an appeal against the ban and I am confident the appeals judge will remove it and I can resume playing international cricket soon," Malik said.

"I wouldn't say being under a ban is the worst phase of my life. Infact, I got married during this period. Obviously, I want to resume playing international cricket soon because that is my profession and I am sure the appeal will be dealt with properly," he said.

The appeals judge Irfan Qadir has set Friday as the day to begin hearings into the appeals of the cricketers who have approached court against the PCB bans.

Legal advisor to PCB Tafazzul Rizvi said that three players, Malik, another former skipper Younis Khan and pacer Rana Naved were expected to appear in person or be represented by their legal advisor at Friday's hearing.

"Justice Qadir had earlier set Saturday as the hearing date but since it is a public holiday he has brought the date forward to April 30," Rizvi said.

Three of the other cricketers who have filed appeals, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal are presently in the West Indies with the Twenty20 World Cup squad and judge Qadir said they have to appear in person to defend themselves when they return home.

"In the meantime, I will try to dispose off the appeals of the players available in Pakistan and hear them out properly," he said.

The PCB had also banned senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf for an indefnite period but he preferred to take retirement from international cricket instead of lodging an appeal.