Pak Senate committee urge three-series ban on Afridi

Pakistan Senate's standing committee on sports on Monday recommended the cricket board to ban dashing all-rounder Shahid Afridi for at least three series for ball tampering in a One-day match in Australia last month.

The committee made the call for "strict action" against the all-rounder after discussing Pakistan's woeful performance on a tour of Australia and the Afridi case.

One of the Senators even called to ban Afridi for five years for the ball tampering incident.

"The integrity of the nation cannot be compromised and no player is indispensable. We should not select Afridi for some time and tell the world that we are not cheats and we know how to deal with indisciplined players," said Senator Tariq Azeem.

Another Senator said if strict action was not taken, the all-rounder could repeat the act in future again.

"If he bites the ball like an apple there's lots of problems behind it. If you don't take action this will happen again," Senator Haroon Akhtar said.

PCB chief Ejaz Butt, however, told the committee under ICC standards it cannot punish Afridi.

"The ICC has told us clearly we can't punish a player twice for one offence. Their lawyer has also suggested that if we handed more punishment to Afridi and he challenges it in court, it can run PCB into trouble," Butt told the Senators.

Afridi was caught on television biting the ball during the fifth One-dayer against Australia in Perth last month.

The ICC match referee Ranjan Madugalle handed him a ban of two Twenty20 matches. Afridi later apologised.