Daily Times

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday slapped star batsman Umar Akmal with a three-match ban and a fine of Rs one million for breach of his central contract. “The PCB disciplinary committee found Umar to be in breach of the Clauses of his central contract on multiple occasions,” said a spokesman for the PCB. In addition to ban and fine, the PCB won’t give any No Objection Certificate (NOC) to Umar for participation in any foreign leagues, tournaments or matches for a period of two months. Sanction from playing private league means that Umar will not be able to take part in the lucrative Bangladesh Premier League or South Africa’s Global T20 league. The batsman was already signed up by a franchise to play in the Global T20 and was also in demand in the BPL both scheduled to start from early November. The announcement came after PCB chairman Najam Sethi returned to Pakistan and reviewed the report on Umar.

The chain of events that led to sanction began when Umar called an impromptu press conference last month and accused coach Mickey Arthur of using abusive language towards him, demanding an investigative committee be set up to probe the matter. Instead, the PCB formed a disciplinary committee to investigate potential breaches of contract by Umar himself, culminating in yesterday’s sentence. The PCB official said: “The sanction has been awarded with a heavy heart but with the hope that it will serve as a precedent for all cricketers who should be mindful of their obligations and the consequences of their actions.” The development caps what have been a torrid few months for Umar. His central contract was terminated in July. Two months prior to that, he was sent home from the ICC Champions Trophy after he was found to be the only player to have failed to meet fitness standards. With Arthur having made fitness a priority, Umar has found himself cut adrift from the international side.

Published in Daily Times, September 29^th 2017.