DURBAN, South Africa, (Reuters):

PAKISTAN'S SHAHID Afridi will miss the early matches of the 2007 World Cup after he was banned for four one-day internationals yesterday.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) found Afridi guilty of a level three breach of its code of conduct after he directed his bat at a spectator during the first one-day international against South Africa at Centurion on February 4.

Afridi was charged under section C2 of the code which refers to "conduct unbecoming ... which could bring (players or officials) or the game of cricket into disrepute".

The ban means Afridi will miss the last two matches in Pakistan's current one-day series against South Africa, as well as the showpiece opening match of the World Cup against the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica on March 13 and the game against Ireland in Kingston on March 17.

No appeal

Pakistan's assistant manager, Asad Mustafa, said from Cape Town that Afridi would not appeal against his punishment.

"He is planning on returning home tomorrow," Mustafa said.

The match referee who conducted the hearing, Chris Broad, said the spectator would have been hit by Afridi's bat had he not moved out of its path.

Threat to spectator

"I took into account what I considered to be the mitigating circumstances of a spectator in close proximity to the player shouting at him as he returned to the dressing room," an ICC statement quoted Broad as saying.

"However, I found it impossible to escape the conclusion that Afridi's actions were a clear threat to that spectator, and had that person not taken evasive action then the bat would almost certainly have hit him."

Broad had the power to ban Afridi for between two and four Test matches or between four and eight one-day internationals.