Shoaib Akhtar's ban suspended for one month

File photo of Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar during a cricket match between India and Pakistan in Bangalore December 12, 2007.

KARACHI (Reuters) - Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar's five-year ban was suspended for a month by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday.

A PCB tribunal accepted a plea from Shoaib that the ban should be suspended temporarily so that he can play in the Indian Premier League.

Justice Aftab Farrukh, who heads the tribunal, said the ban was delayed until the next hearing on June 4.

"Since it will take time to dispose of Shoaib's regular appeal against the ban the tribunal felt that preventing him from playing in the league would have been an additional penalty on him," Farrukh said.

"It would have been an additional penalty which has not even been prescribed by the disciplinary committee of the board which banned him from playing in or for Pakistan but not outside Pakistan."

Shoaib was banned for five years by the PCB last month for several incidents of indiscipline and violating the conditions of a two-year probation.