Former Fast Bowler Shoaib Akhtar says the opinion he made was in the public interest to point out shortcomings in PCB with hope for improvement.
RAWALPINDI: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-May 12th, 2020) Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has replied to the defamation notice of Pakistan cricket Board (PCB) Tafazul Rizvi, saying that his notice was defective and invalid.
Taking to Twitter, Shoaib Akhtar said that his comments about PCB and Mr. Rizvi were expression of opinion given in public interest to point out shortcomings in PCB with hope for improvement.
On April 29, PCB’s legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi sued former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar over his alleged tirade agaist the board and its legal adviser in aftermath of Umar Akmal’s ban here on Wednesday.
Tafazzul Rizvi claimed Rs 10 million as compensation for damages against the former cricketer, for calling him an inept person of low caliber and leveling serious allegations against him.
“Shoaib Akhtar’s remarks have affected goodwill as he said false things about me on social media. His remarks were seen and heard abroad as well. Therefore, I decided to take legal action against him,” said Tafazzul Rizvi—the legal adviser to PCB. He said he would take action against Akhtar outside of Pakistan, too.
The law officer said that he also moved Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) under the cybercrime act against him for making false allegations against him." In a YouTube video, Akhtar accused the PCB and its legal team of giving cover to corrupt cricketers of their choice but feeding other out-of-favours ones to the lions - a practice he said has helped the menace of match-fixing entrench itself in the system. Shoaib Akhtar also said that board saved and rehabilitated match-fixers who developed this mindset that “okay I will serve my six-month or two years ban but will be back again like Sharjeel Khan',”. He also said that corrupt elements would remain in the system until it was criminalised through the parliament and the treatment of guilty cricketers was taken out of the board's hands.
Akhtar also targeted PCB's legal advisor Rizvi, whom he described as an "inept person" for being hard on Akmal but not being able to "read a basic contract". "The PCB's legal department is rotten to the core. Tafazzul Rizvi, in particular, is one such individual. He has deep connections and has been with the board for 10-15 years," he added. “There has never been a case that he has not lost. The thing that angered me the most was when he dragged Shahid Afridi in courts. I believe that stars are born and must be respected, and these lawyers use our high-profile cases to earn fame. He is an idiot of the highest order and has lost cases against me, Afridi, doping case ... everything. What he does is that he pits PCB against its players and profits off of their legal wrangles,”.
“Umar Akmal can be banned for not reporting an approach but the legal department could not see that the PCB itself was making agreements that allowed a third party to make PSL matches available for gambling,” he added. "The legal department did not spot that. When betting is illegal here then how come PSL matches were gambled on?" he asked.
