Lahore, May 31 (IANS) Former Supreme Court judge Justice (retired) Faqir Muhammad Khokhar has been appointed as an independent adjudicator to hear cricketer Umar Akmals appeal against his three-year ban, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Sunday. Akmal was banned from the sport for three years for breaching the PCB Anti-Corruption Code in two separate incidents. The PCB statement also stated that the independent adjudicator will now decide on the date of the appeal hearing. Geo.Tv had earlier reported that Akmal had hired Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs, Babar Awan's law firm to help him with the case after the sanction was imposed on him by the PCB. Akmal was charged with two breaches of Article 2.4.4 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code in two unrelated incidents on March 17. On April 9, the PCB referred the matter to the Chairman of the Independent Disciplinary Committee after the batsman opted not to request for a hearing before the Anti-Corruption Tribunal.