KARACHI — Pakistan cricket has tightened gag orders on players by
serving notices to opener Mohammad Hafeez and batsman Umar Akmal for
allegedly violating their contracts, an official said Wednesday.
"Hafeez
and Umar have been served with show-cause notices for violating the
code of conduct clause on media interviews," Pakistan Cricket Board
(PCB) spokesman Nadeem Sarwar told AFP.
Pakistani players under central contract are barred from speaking to the media without prior permission from the PCB.
Hafeez
last week told local media about his international comeback and desire
to lead Pakistan if the opportunity comes his way, while Akmal told an
English website of his desire to bat at the top of the order.
The
notices are the latest in a flurry of disciplinary actions taken by the
PCB against players deemed to have violated their contracts.
All-rounder
Shahid Afridi was served notice twice and was ultimately dumped as
one-day captain after criticising coach Waqar Younis.
After he
announced his retirement from international cricket and accused the PCB
of mistreatment, the PCB suspended his contract, briefly revoked his
permission to play abroad and fined him $53,000 in an out of court
settlement.
National selector Mohammad Ilyas was slapped with two
show-cause notices for speaking out against Afridi and appearing on a
television show with Salman Butt, who was banned in a spot-fixing
scandal last year.
Pakistan's women's captain Sana Mir was also served with a show-cause notice for urging the authorities to employ a woman coach. AFP
