Lahore: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will appeal to the International Cricket Council (ICC) on behalf of former captain Saleem Malik if he decides to contest his life ban imposed on charges of match-fixing, said a media report Saturday.

"In case Saleem Malik appeals, we will consider it and forward it to the ICC," PCB president Nasim Ashraf was quoted as saying by The News Saturday.

Malik was handed a life ban after a judicial inquiry conducted by justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum in 2000 found enough evidence of match-fixing against the former captain.

Australian players Shane Warne, Tim May and Mark Waugh alleged that Malik offered them money to under-perform during their team's tour to Pakistan in 1994.

The Qayyum inquiry committee banned Malik and paceman Ata-ur-Rehman for life and fined six others including Inzamam-ul-Haq, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Mushtaq Ahmed, Saeed Anwar and Akram Raza.

Ata-ur-Rehman's ban was lifted last week during the ICC executive board meeting in Mumbai.

While doing so, the ICC said. "The board was keen to stress that this decision does not represent a precedent in respect of other banned players and any subsequent applications for reinstatement would be considered on their individual merits."

Malik said the lifting of Rehman's ban and Pakistan's promise to forward his appeal to the ICC had given him a lifeline.

"I will definitely appeal against the ban and the recent talk of Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin's ban to be lifted and Rehman's relief gives me a lot of encouragement," the newspaper quoted Malik as saying.