Islamabad: A probe into match-fixing allegations against top Pakistan all-rounder Wasim Akram on Thursday took a new turn with the Inquiry Officer withdrawing from it at the last minute. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has subsequently adjourned the hearing on the appeal filed by Akram to review match-fixing allegations against him. The decision to adjourn the proceedings was taken after Inquiry Officer Zakir Khan, also the general manager (Cricket Operations) of PCB, expressed his inability to conduct the hearing saying Akram was a close friend, Samiul Hasan, general manager of the Board's media unit, said in a statement from Lahore. "I have played international and domestic cricket with Wasim Akram. And in this background, I think it is morally unethical to be an Inquiry Officer for his case because I might not be able to do justice," Zakir Khan told the Board. PCB chairman Lt Gen Tauqir Zia has accepted Zakir's request saying, "One can only appreciate the gesture of Zakir Khan." The Cricket Board will appoint a new Inquiry Officer soon and subsequently a fresh date for the hearing will be finalised, it said. The one-man Zakir Khan inquiry committee, which had recently absolved former Pakistan fast bowler Ata-ur-Rehman, was to start its probe into the allegations against Akram on Thursday. The review was being conducted following a directive from the Lahore High Court asking the PCB to review the allegations following petitions filed by Rehman and Akram. Extras:
Life ban on Rahman lifted, decision on Akram soon: PCB

Tags: cricket, wasim akram, pakistan cricket board (pcb), inquiry officer zakir khan, samiul hasan, gen tauqir zia, ata ur rehman, lahore high court.