Pakistan disciplines Hafeez and Akmal

Pakistan cricket has tightened gag orders on players by serving notices to opener Mohammad Hafeez and batsman Umar Akmal for allegedly violating their contracts, an official said on Wednesday.

"Hafeez and Umar have been served with show-cause notices for violating the code of conduct clause on media interviews," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman Nadeem Sarwar told AFP.

Pakistani players under central contract are barred from speaking to the media without prior permission from the PCB.

Hafeez last week told local media about his international comeback and desire to lead Pakistan if the opportunity comes his way, while Akmal told an English website of his desire to bat at the top of the order.

The notices are the latest in a flurry of disciplinary actions taken by the PCB against players deemed to have violated their contracts.

All-rounder Shahid Afridi was served notice twice and was ultimately dumped as one-day captain after criticising coach Waqar Younis.

After he announced his retirement from international cricket and accused the PCB of mistreatment, the PCB suspended his contract, briefly revoked his permission to play abroad and fined him ê53,000 in an out of court settlement.

National selector Mohammad Ilyas was slapped with two show-cause notices for speaking out against Afridi and appearing on a television show with Salman Butt, who was banned in a spot-fixing scandal last year.

Pakistan's women's captain Sana Mir was also served with a show-cause notice for urging the authorities to employ a woman coach.

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