Afridi unapologetic at disciplinary committee

LAHORE: Pakistan's former captain Shahid Afridi refused to apologise to authorities Thursday after appearing before a disciplinary committee to face charges of misbehaviour.

The 31-year-old announced his retirement from international cricket after being dumped as one-day captain and then criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), refusing to play under its current management.

The PCB said Afridi violated the players' code of conduct, suspended his central contract and revoked permission for him to play abroad, preventing him from joining Hampshire in the ongoing Twenty20 league in England.

It summoned Afridi to appear before a three-man disciplinary committee in Lahore, where he said he had been forced into making a mistake.

"I accept my mistake but will not apologise. The committee has summoned me later Thursday and after their verdict I will speak to the media again," he told reporters after the meeting.

The three-man committee is made up of former Test opener Shafiq Ahmed, Sultan Rana and Usman Wahla, and is expected to submit a report to the PCB.

Afridi's lawyer Mehmood Mandviwala has said he hopes the all-rounder will get back his permission to play abroad, which would allow him to play in next month's Sri Lankan Premier League.

The stand-off began last month after Afridi publicly criticised coach Waqar Younis for meddling in team selection during a one-day series against the West Indies, which Pakistan won 3-2.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011