Nauman Niaz | Pakistan

Former star cricketer Shoaib Akhtar received a defamation notice of Rs1 billion from sports journalist and former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official Nauman Niaz on Monday, reigniting yet another feud between the two personalities. The legal notice dated May 29, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, claimed that the ex-pacer made “baseless” and “unethical” comments regarding Niaz. On May 25, Akhtar appeared on a show on a private news channel where he said that Niaz “used to carry our bags” and “he was kept for that purpose”, the notice stated. “Your [Akhtar’s] comment/remark was not only factually incorrect, it was an assault on memory and dignity,” it said. The notice read that Akhtar’s statement employed “foul and defamatory language” against Niaz, with the “sole intention of destroying the reputation acquired by him [Niaz] through hard work”. “That the false statements and the representations made by you [Akhtar] … have injured the reputation of our client [Niaz], lowered him in the estimation of ...