Temperamental fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was banned for five years by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday for repeated disciplinary violations.
Board chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf told a news conference the suspension was imposed on the recommendation of the PCB disciplinary committee and the paceman had the right to lodge an appeal.
"He can't play for Pakistan or anywhere in Pakistan. But he can play in the Indian Premier League which is not in our jurisdiction," said Ashraf.
Leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, who like Akhtar criticised board policies when the new central contracts were announced in January, was warned and reprimanded.
Akhtar was dropped from the list of contracts while Kaneria was demoted.
Tuesday's announcement came after the two players appeared before the disciplinary committee in Rawalpindi.
"He (Akhtar) was already under a two-year probation period from last year," said Ashraf. "He committed repeated offences of indiscipline from 2004 to 2008, around 15 in total.
"We gave him lots of chances in the past but he reached a stage where he had become damaging for himself and Pakistan cricket and a habitual offender.
"The board has lost confidence in Shoaib Akhtar."
Below is a chronology of disciplinary action taken against Shoaib Akhtar:
September 1997: Dropped from Pakistan one-day squad for a series in Toronto on the basis of tour manager's report of an earlier visit to England by the A team
December 1999: Banned for illegal bowling action
February 2000: Banned for a test and fined 50,000 rupees ($1,800) after breaching players' code of conduct on tour of Australia
January 2001: Banned for illegal bowling action for a second time
November 2002: Fined 50 percent of match fee, banned for one one-day international for throwing a bottle into crowd during a test in Zimbabwe
December 2002: Suspended one-test ban for ball tampering
May 2003: Banned for two ODIs and fined 75 percent of match fee for ball tampering during a tri-series match in Sri Lanka
October 2003: Banned for one test and two ODIs for using obscene and offensive language towards South African Paul Adams in Lahore test
December 2004: Fined 40 percent of match fee for taunting batsman during test in Australia
January 2005: Fined 25 percent of match fee for excessive appealing in ODI in Australia
October 2006: Banned for two years for testing positive for nandrolone. Ban lifted on appeal two months later
August 2007: Fined $5,000 for leaving training camp without permission. Fine suspended on appeal.
October 2007: Banned for 13 international matches and fined 3.4 million rupees ($120,300) for four breaches of discipline including striking team mate Mohammad Asif with a bat before Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa. Also put on two-year probation.
April 2008: Banned for five years by PCB for violating code of conduct while under probation period.
