Daily Times

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday banned international spinner Asif Afridi for a period of two years from all cricket after he pleaded guilty as charged for two violations under the PCB’s Anti-Corruption Code for Participants. For the breach of Article 2.4.10, Mr. Afridi was handed a two-year period of ineligibility, while he was given a six-month ban for the violation of Article 2.4.4. Both the periods of ineligibility will run concurrently and will commence from the day of his provisional suspension, which commenced on September 12, 2022. While reaching its determination on the sanction period, the PCB took into consideration the admission of guilt, expression of remorse, past track record and Asif Afridi’s request that the PCB considers his case compassionately, claiming he had unintentionally breached the Code.

Afridi was initially suspended in September last year over failing to report an approach “to engage in corrupt conduct” during the National Twenty20 tournament. While announcing the decision, the PCB said it considered Afridi’s request to consider his case compassionately. He claimed he had unintentionally breached the code. The 36-year-old was part of a squad to face Australia in limited-over matches last year, but did not play in any of them.

Chair of PCB Management Committee Najam Sethi said: “It gives the PCB no joy to suspend an international cricketer for two years, but we have a zero-tolerance approach towards such offences. As the game’s governing body, we need to make examples, handle such matters robustly and send out strong messages to all cricketers. It is bitter fact that corruption poses a threat to our sport as selfish corrupters lure cricketers in different ways and methods. That’s precisely why the PCB has been investing heavily on player education so that they remain vigilant and can help the PCB eradicate this menace by reporting approaches and if, despite all our best efforts to create awareness, a player falls victim to his greed, then the PCB has no sympathy.”

Pakistan cricket has a history of match-fixing bans, with a judicial inquiry banning former skipper Salim Malik and seamer Ataur Rehman for life and fining six top cricketers – including Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis – in 2000. Salman Butt, who was then the team’s skipper, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were banned for five years in a spot-fixing case in England in 2010. Two years later, leg-spinner Danish Kaneria was banned for life over a spot-fixing case in English country cricket. In the more recent past, Umar Akmal, Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif, Shahzaib Hasan, Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Irfan were also banned in various spot-fixing cases.