Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi on Saturday confirmed that a national team player was approached by an individual with a match-fixing offer, but it was immediately reported to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) anti-corruption unit. “A player was approached,” Sethi said on Twitter. “As per rules he immediately reported to the PCB who informed the ICC. Matters are jointly in hand. No further comment.” Sethi did not name the player; however, Pakistan media and sources in the PCB have said that the player approached by the bookie was skipper Sarfraz Ahmed and the approach was made on October 17, before the third one-day international in Abu Dhabi. Pakistan lead the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka 4-0 after a thumping seven-wicket win in Sharjah on Friday. The final match also takes place in Sharjah on Monday.

The sources added that when the bookie approached him, Sarfraz thought he was a fan requesting for a picture, but the man made a spot-fixing offer to Sarfraz who turned it down on the spot and reported the approach to PCB’s security officials staying with the team. Following the incident, the team officials have tightened up the security measures and issued fresh instructions to the squad to stay away from irrelevant people and have also restored curfew timings for the players.

Under the PCB anti-corruption code, a player must report a fixing offer. A failure to do so can result in a ban of a minimum of six months. The maximum punishment is a life ban. Under the ICC rules, a player is interviewed by its anti-corruption unit to further investigate the matter, but the governing body does not make any comment on an ongoing investigation.

Pakistan cricket received a jolt in February when two of its players – Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif – were caught in a spot-fixing scandal which rocked the Pakistan Super League held in the United Arab Emirates. Sharjeel was banned for five years (two and a half years of which were suspended) while Khalid was banned for five years and fined Rs.01m. The two played for Islamabad United and were accused of arranging two dot balls in return for money in the opening match of the league. Pacer Mohammad Irfan, also named in the scandal, was banned for a year, six months of which were suspended, and fined Rs.01m while spinning all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz was banned for two months (one suspended) and fined Rs200,000 for failing to report fixing offers at various stages. Pakistan cricket has a history of fixing related incidents with three its of top players – Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir – banned for five years in a spot-fixing scandal on team’s tour of England in 2010. An earlier judicial inquiry on fixing ended in life bans on Salim Malik and Ataur Rehman and fines on six players Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Saeed Anwar and Akram Raza in 2000. Leg-spinner Danish Kaneria is serving a life ban in a 2010 spot-fixing case in a county match in England.

Published in Daily Times, October 22^nd 2017.