Younis appeal adjourned till May 15

Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan's appeal against the indefinite ban imposed on him by the PCB was adjourned after his lawyer said he was given the documents detailing the allegations at the last minute. The appeal will now be heard on May 15, the same day as the hearing for Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, who were banned for a year by the Pakistan board. The appeals are being heard by Irfan Qadir, a retired judge appointed by the PCB.

"The tribunal wanted us to argue on the allegations against Younis five minutes after handing them to us, so we requested for the adjournment because we have to study these statements," Ahmed Qayyum, Younis' lawyer, told AFP.

Seven Pakistan players were penalised, for various reasons, by the PCB in the aftermath of a winless tour of Australia. Younis and Mohammad Yousuf, who has retired from international cricket, were banned indefinitely. Malik and Naved were banned for a year while the Akmal brothers and Shahid Afridi were fined and placed on a six-month probation. Each of the players, with the exception of Yousuf, have appealed against the punishments.

Younis and Yousuf were accused of "infighting" and having a "negative influence" on the team. Qayyum also criticised the leaking of the inquiry committee report, upon which the penalties were based, to the media. "We have also raised objection on the leakage of the report and it's very clear that it's done with a malafide intentions against Younis.

"The one-man tribunal has adjourned the hearing on Younis' appeal until May 15 and on that day appeals against Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan will also be heard," PCB legal adviser Talib Rizvi told reporters in Lahore.