The Appellate tribunal, legal counsel of the Pakistan Cricket Board, reduced the ban imposed on controversial paceman Shoaib Akhtar [Images] to 18 months and fined him for Rs. 7 lakh.

The tribunal was hearing an appeal from Shoaib against the five-year ban slapped on him by the disciplinary committee of the PCB in March. The verdict was delivered in Lahore [Images] on Saturday.

He was allowed to play in the Indian Premier League [Images] after the tribunal suspended his ban for one month.

The 'Rawalpindi Express' was earlier banned for five years for violating code of conduct while under probation period.

Last year, Shoaib was banned for 13 international matches and fined Rs. 3.4 million ($120,300) for four breaches of discipline including striking team mate Mohammad Asif [Images] with a bat before Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa and put on two-year probation.