Fast bowling legend Wasim Akram said Thursday bans on key players for their dismal performance in Australia had made Pakistan's cricket "a laughing stock" and should be reconsidered.

Akram was commenting on the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) decision Wednesday to ban former captains Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf indefinitely from the national side following this year's disastrous Australian tour.

In a humiliating whitewash, Pakistan lost all three Tests, all five one-day internationals and the lone Twenty20 international while touring Australia from December to February.

A committee appointed to investigate the fiasco blamed the result on infighting between Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan and, among other sanctions, recommended they "should not be part of the national team in any format."

The six-man panel headed by PCB chief operating officer Wasim Bari also banned Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan for one year on charges of violating the players' code of conduct.

Other recommendations included a three-million-rupee (35,500-US-dollar) fine for Shahid Afridi, who was caught by TV cameras biting the ball during the Australian tour's final one-day match, in Perth.

The Akmal brothers, Kamran Akmal and Umar, were also fined and put on a six-month probation for violating discipline on tour.

Akram, who was a member of the committee but did not attend any of its meetings held last month, said the bans on Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan were embarrassing.

"These penalties have made Pakistan cricket a laughing stock in the world," Akram told AFP from Mumbai, where he is on a coaching assignment.

"You don't ban players for such problems. Had I attended any meeting or given recommendations I would have suggested fines, but not bans."

The former left-arm pace bowler said Pakistan cricket could not afford such decisions.

"Pakistan cricket is in turmoil," said Akram. "We are anyway not playing (international) cricket (at home) for security reasons and this will further embarrass our players.

"No board in the world deprives cricketers of their livelihood. If there were discipline problems, it was the duty of the captain Yousuf, coach Intikhab Alam and manager Abdul Raqeeb to deal with them.

"I have been hearing Malik has been a disruptive influence since last year. If that is so, why was he kept in the team in the first place?"

He said the penalties, ahead of Pakistan's defence of the World Twenty20 title in the West Indies next month, would wreck the national team.

"Pakistan has already been weakened due to various problems and this will further hit it badly," he said. "We can't even find 11 good players because of lack of talent in the country.

He said that both Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf were still needed in both Tests and one-day cricket.

"What I suggest to PCB is to stick with heavy fines, but don't implement the bans because we still need Yousuf and Younus in Tests and one-day cricket.

"With the World Cup in 2011 so close, this decision will hurt our team badly."

AFP

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