The 32 years old Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has been banned for five years for violating a code of conduct at a disciplinary committee hearing on last Tuesday. He was accused for talking with the media.

The charges were laid after the controversial paceman criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for double standards in awarding the central contracts in January this year.

In October last year Shoaib Akhtar was fined 3.4 million rupees (52,000 dollars) & banned for 13 matches for hitting fellow paceman Mohammad Asif with a bat, just days before the start of the Twenty20 World Championships.

Shoaib Akhtar was dropped from Pakistan’s list of 15 contracted players in January after the paceman had another disappointing year, plagued by injures & discipline problems. Akhtar played the last of his 46 Tests against India at Bangalore in December 2007 before breaking down due to back trouble.

He was blamed for Pakistan’s 1-0 series loss to the archrivals & was not played in the team’s one-day series against Zimbabwe in February this year.