Pakistan have banned Shoaib Akhtar, their fast bowler, for 13 international matches and fined him £42,500 for hitting a teammate with a bat and other offences.

Akhtar struck Mohammad Asif, his fellow fast bowler, after team practice in Johannesburg before the start of the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup last month. He was expelled from the team and sent back home.

"He has been banned for 13 international matches consecutively - it will start from the first Twenty20 match in South Africa [last month]" said Shafqat Naghmi, the Pakistan Cricket Board's chief operating officer.

The 32-year-old will be on probation for two years and will face a life ban should he commit further disciplinary breaches. He has the right to appeal both the ban and the fine.

Akhtar apologised for hitting Asif but blamed fellow team-mate Shahid Afridi for provoking him. "I am sorry for what I did and I have apologised to Asif," Akhtar said as he arrived for the hearing in the eastern city of Lahore. "The incident happened after Afridi used nasty words about my family which I couldn't tolerate and Asif came in between the matter."

Akhtar was charged on three counts relating to the Asif incident: hitting a teammate with a bat, accusing Afridi of involvement and holding a press conference on the incident.

He was also punished for criticising a PCB doping tribunal that banned him last year after a positive test for steroids and for playing a charity match in England in August without permission.

The ban includes all seven matches of last month's Twenty20 tournament, the ongoing two-Test series against South Africa and the four one-day matches that follow the Tests. Akhtar will be available for the last of the five one-dayers against South Africa, due to be played on October 29 in Karachi, and for next month's tour of India.