Shoaib Akhtar vows 'befitting reply' to Dr. Nauman Niaz's defamation notice

Legendary Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has responded to a defamation notice from analyst and former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official Dr. Nauman Niaz.

The former Pakistan speedster acknowledged receiving the notice, while vowing a befitting reply to the ‘frivolous’ charges.

“I have received a legally defective, unfounded, ego satisfying and utterly frivolous Defamation Notice from Nouman Niaz. I have engaged Mr. @SalmanKNiazi1, a trustworthy, brilliant and capable lawyer, to draft and send a befitting reply in this regard. He will represent me,” he wrote in a post on X.

The dispute stems from a statement made by Shoaib Akhtar during an appearance on a private TV channel last month.

While talking at the show, the former Pakistani speedster said that Dr. Nauman Niaz “used to carry our bags” and that “he was kept for that purpose.”

Read more: Shoaib Akhtar’s YouTube channel banned in India

The video quickly went viral, attracting a furious response from Dr. Niaz, who has served in the PCB during the time Akhtar played for Pakistan.

In a post on X, the former PCB official lambasted Shoaib Akhtar for a ‘one-sided malicious defamation campaign.’

“Shoaib Akhtar let fly again. He passed derogatory remarks contrary to the reality. Eventually, the silence could no longer be mistaken for acquiescence,” Dr. Nauman Niaz wrote.

He revealed sending a legal notice to the former Pakistan fast bowler, in which he demanded a public apology and formal retraction within 14 days.