PCB lawyer Tafazzul Rizvi said the Board decided to drop the suit against Shoaib after the paceman apologised to Ashraf during a meeting organised by the Prime Minister's adviser on interior affairs Rehman Malik.

The meeting took place at the senior PPP leader's residence and the PCB subsequently decided to drop the lawsuit that was filed in a Lahore court, Dawn News reported.

It was to come up for hearing on May 16. The lawsuit was filed after Shoaib alleged in an interview that the PCB chief had demanded money from the player to allow them to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The news comes as yet another relief for the embattled pacer, who was cleared to play in the IPL on Sunday after an appellate tribunal suspended a five-year ban imposed on him for disciplinary violations for one month.